This Is Who You Are
by Southern Charm83
Summary: When students start to disappear at Hogwarts, can two enemies put aside their differences to figure out what is going on? And will they eventually become friends...or something more? They may even uncover a secret that affects the lives of many. DG
1. Back to Hogwarts

NOTES ON THE STORY: It's Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Draco's 7th year, which makes it Ginny's 6th year. It will end up a Draco/Ginny story, even if it sounds like it will be Harry/Ginny. I am NOT basing it on the 6th book, because that wouldn't work for my story. How can it be a Draco/Ginny story if Draco is not at the school? Ummmm….anything else? I don't think so. Ok, well read and enjoy! Hope you like it.

Also, look for another update later today. I will post chapter 2, and maybe….chapter 3 if I feel like it.

Disclaimer: Why do we have to put these disclaimers on here? Isn't it obvious that we do not own the Harry Potter series? Why do they have to rub it in? Life isn't fair.

**Chapter 1: Back to Hogwarts**

Ginny Weasley peered at herself in a mirror in her bedroom. It was early in the morning and the sun streamed through the curtains hanging at her window. She had turned sixteen not three weeks ago, and she was returning to Hogwarts for her sixth year. Most of the summer she had spent in her bedroom, trying to convince herself to stop thinking about Harry Potter. Ever since her third year, she had tried to get over him, and she thought it had worked. But when Harry had come to stay with the Weasley's that summer, he had awoken long forgotten feelings in her. She knew things would never work out between them. If Harry felt anything for her, it was only friendly love. She was like a little sister to him, and she knew it. Besides, even if Harry was interested in her, she could never get up the nerve to talk to him. Every time he said something to her, her face would grow warm and she'd mumble something incoherent. She laughed at herself. Whenever Harry talked to her she acted like a little, blubbering girl

Ginny continued studying herself in the mirror. She wasn't beautiful; at least she didn't think so. She was by no means fat, but she didn't think herself the thinnest girl in school. Some girls starved themselves to attain the "desirable" figure, but she wouldn't do that to herself. Also, she hated her freckles. They dotted the bridge of her nose and lightly scattered over her cheeks. They used to be very prominent on her face, but over the years they had dimmed. And she was short. Ginny always thought that being tall was elegant, but she was only 5'4". The only thing she truly liked about herself was her hair. The traditional flaming red Weasley hair curled in gentle waves half-way down her back. She smiled to herself as she swished her hair. She was just getting lost in a daydream that involved a certain black-haired, green-eyed boy when a voice yelled at her from downstairs.

"Ginny!" Her older brother Ron called. "You'd better hurry up or we're going to be late! Again!" Ginny sighed to herself. Why did it seem they were always late getting to Kings Cross? She quickly stuffed a few last minute items into her trunk and started hauling it down the staircase.

Ron and Harry were waiting for her near the door. Her heart did the familiar flip-flop it always did as she laid eyes on Harry. He had been steadily getting taller over the last year, though it was prominent only now that she thought about it. Though not nearly as tall as her brother, who never seemed to stop growing, Harry was at least a few inches taller than her. Ron was still the gangly, freckle-faced, red-haired older brother he always was.

"Come on Ginny, everybody else is in the car," Ron said. Ginny sighed as she followed them out the door.

Her parents were sitting in the car, and Ron, Harry, and Ginny piled in the backseat. Since Ron had gotten in first, Ginny was squished up against Harry. Her cheeks burned as their legs touched.

"Have everything, everybody?" Arthur Weasley called from the driver's seat.

"Yes," three voices said together from the back.

"Good," Mr. Weasley continued, "because there's no time to go back and get anything. If we don't hurry, all of you will miss the train." And with that said, they sped off towards the station.

* * *

When they arrived at the train station, they pushed themselves through the throng of people and made their way to Platform 9 and 3/4. As casually as could be with two impatient owls that were screeching and attracting unwanted attention from Muggles, the four Weasley's plus Harry quickly slipped unnoticed through the magical barrier. Once on the other side, Ginny breathed deeply as she took in the sight around her. Many witches and wizards were hurrying about shooing their children onto the train with last minute warnings of behaving. A little ways to their right, a mother was scolding her young son who had apparently lost his wand. Her reverie did not last long however, because Molly Weasley jerked her back to reality with a giant hug.

"I'm going to miss you, sweetie. You be careful and listen to the teachers," her mother advised. "Don't break any of the rules, which your brother always seems to do."

"Don't worry, mum, I'll be fine; I always am," Ginny said reassuringly.

"I know. I'm just going to miss you so much," said Mrs. Weasley, looking fondly at her daughter.

"Yes, but I'll be coming home for Christmas, so I'll see you then," Ginny said as she hugged her mom tight. Her mom sniffed back a tear and hugged her again.

As her mom let go and turned to say good-bye to Harry and Ron, Ginny turned to face her father.

"I'm going to miss you, daddy," Ginny said as she hugged him.

Mr. Weasley hugged her back with similar words of farewell. As the whistle on the Hogwarts Express shrilled in a departure warning, she broke away from her father. Shouting good-byes over their shoulders and promises of writing when they got to school, they quickly made their way onto the train, and soon they were off on their way to Hogwarts.

* * *

Ginny sighed as she sat down in an empty compartment. Well, it wasn't entirely empty. Harry was there as well. Much to her family's surprise and delight, Ron had been named Head Boy. And to nobody's surprise, Hermione had been named Head Girl. But then, Hermione had the highest grades in the entire school, so she had almost been guaranteed the position. As Head Boy and Girl, they had to meet in the Heads compartment at the beginning of the train ride to discuss some rules and plans for the year. Then they had to patrol the corridors to make sure everybody was following the rules. It would be a while until they came back, and Ginny was feeling awkward in the room with just Harry.

As the silence steadily grew, so did the tension. Ginny was just about to say something, anything, to end the grim hush when to her relief the compartment door slid open. Her relief quickly turned to displeasure when she saw who stood in the doorway. Draco Malfoy, flanked by his usual side ornaments, Vincent Crabb and Gregory Goyle, stood in the doorway. How Crabb and Goyle could fit in the doorway, let alone with Malfoy in between them was beyond Ginny, but she soon stuffed that thought out of her mind as Malfoy made his way into the compartment. Harry clenched his fists and scowled at him.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" he asked menacingly. Malfoy merely sneered at him.

"Just seeing how things are going, Scarhead," Malfoy said as he looked down at Harry, who was still sitting. "I hope you and the Weaselette were behaving yourselves…" he continued, smirking as he looked back and forth between Harry and Ginny.

Harry stood up and faced Malfoy, his face hard and angry.

"Get out. Now."

"Or you'll what, Potter? What are you and the Weasel going to do if I don't?" Harry whipped out his wand at the same time Draco took out his. They stood nose to nose, their wands aimed at each other. Ginny quickly got up and pushed herself between them.

"Just get out Malfoy. We don't want you in here, and I know you don't like us, so just leave," Ginny said, glaring at him. Malfoy turned his gaze from Harry and stared down at her. Something seemed to pass across his face, some unknown emotion, and then he smirked at her.

"You're right," Malfoy said quietly, still looking down at her. Ginny, startled, looked back at Harry, who in turn looked at her. "I don't like you. Either of you. Wonder boy and a blood traitor. It couldn't get much worse than either of you. Except, of course, Mudbloods like that Granger, who can't –" Malfoy was interrupted by Harry's fist colliding with his nose, which gave a sickening crunch. Malfoy looked stunned for a moment, but then blood started pouring out his nose in thick streams. A look of pure hatred etched itself upon his face and he raised his want to curse Harry when Ginny shoved him, Crabb, and Goyle into the empty corridor and slammed the door in their faces. She turned back to Harry with a slight smile, and then sat down again.

"Well, that was…interesting," Harry said as he once again sat down across from Ginny. Ginny chuckled quietly, and then started laughing out loud. Harry looked at her peculiarly.

"Can you imagine," Ginny laughed, "his father's face when he finds out his son didn't make Head Boy, but a Weasley did instead?" Ginny laughed even harder. Harry started laughing as well.

"That must have been why he was in such a bad mood," Harry choked out in between laughs.

"I bet he was expecting to be made Head Boy, but he didn't!" Ginny exclaimed. "Oh, what I would have given to see his face when he found out it was my brother."

Harry and Ginny continued laughing and Draco-bashing for a while longer, and then Ginny seemed to remember that she was in a compartment alone with Harry Potter, because she suddenly looked down at her feet. _Oh no_, Ginny thought, _not another of those awkward silences. I can't take that again_. However, she was spared that, since the door opened yet again. This time, though, it was not Draco Malfoy that stood in the doorway, but her brother and Hermione. Ginny squealed, jumped up, and ran to embrace her friend.

"Oh, I've missed you so much, Hermione!" Ginny said as she squeezed Hermione. Hermione laughed and hugged her back.

"I've missed you too, Gin." Then Hermione looked up and spotted Harry, and hugged him too.

"Congratulations, Hermione," Harry remarked, and Hermione beamed at him.

"Yes, I can't believe I actually was made Head Girl. Of course, it's always been a dream of mine, ever since our first year actually. But I never thought I'd get it."

"Oh please, Hermione," Ron exclaimed as he flopped down where Harry had been sitting. "Everybody knew you were going to be Head Girl. I mean, you do have the highest scores in the _entire _school. How could Dumbledore not make you Head Girl?"

"Yes, well," Hermione continued, "I never actually thought it would happen. I also didn't know that there could be two Heads from the same house. I thought that the Heads had to be from different houses."

"So did I," Ron murmured.

"I think Malfoy was expecting to be made Head Boy," Harry stated while Ginny and he glanced at each other, and then burst out laughing.

"Uh, care to explain what's going on, mate?" Ron questioned as he looked back and forth between his best friend and his little sister. Harry and Ginny stopped laughing and explained what had gone on with their long-time enemy while Ron and Hermione had been gone. When they were finished, Hermione and Ron were chuckling as well.

The rest of the train ride passed quickly, and soon the whistle sounded, warning the students that they were fast approaching Hogwarts. The four teenagers put their robes on as the Hogwarts Express pulled to a stop, and Hermione and Ron exited the compartment to make sure everybody got off the train without any problems.

Ginny breathed in the night air as she stepped off the train, and a small raindrop landed on her nose. She looked up at the evening sky and saw many clouds overhead, and then she heard Hagrid's familiar voice calling to the first years. She then looked up at Hogwarts' many towers, and smiled to herself. She was back.

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**A/N:** Ok well that's the first chapter….obviously. Like none of you already knew that. Review and tell me what you think. I already have the main plot of this story planned out, but feel free to leave any suggestions as to what you want to happen, and I'll consider them. You can leave all the criticism you want, even though I like positive feed-back much better.

Also, do any of you know if there can be a Head Boy and Girl from the same house? I don't think it was ever mentioned in the books, so in my story, there can be. Ok? Ok, well I think that's all. Review and let me know what you think! Reviews mean a lot to me.

Lauren


	2. The Sorting and Confrontations

Her Guardian Angel- Don't worry. Harry won't fall in love with Ginny. He just sees her as a little sister. It WILL be DG. And Harry won't turn evil either. I don't like the "evil harry" stories. Thanks for the review!

Disclaimer- sadly, I do not own ANY of this, only the idea, which I hope is original

**Chapter 2: The Sorting and Confrontations**

Ginny followed her brother and Harry and Hermione into the Great Hall and over to the Gryffindor table, looking around. Everything looked the same as it always did and she smiled. Looking up at the staff table, she saw all of the teachers that had been there from her first year, minus Professor Lockhart. Dumbledore sat there, beaming at everybody, and Snape looked as hostile and ornery as ever.

She saw one unfamiliar face at the table, and judging by the dirty looks Snape kept throwing his way, Ginny decided that this man must be the knew Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. It was common knowledge around school that Severus Snape applied for the position of Dark Arts teacher every year, but Dumbledore never let him have it.

She turned her eyes back to the new man and studied his face a bit more. He appeared to be about the age of her father. He had thinning brown hair that was starting to turn gray around the edges; he was looking down at his hands. Tiny Professor Flitwick, who was sitting to his left, was trying to engage him in conversation, but was unsuccessful.

As the students at their house tables chatted idly about things they had done over the summer and the feast that was yet to come, the door to the Great Hall opened and Professor McGonagall entered, leading a line of about twenty kids, all looking around nervously and keeping close to each other. The noise in the room slowly stopped when everybody saw the Transfiguration teacher. McGonagall led the new pupils to the front of the Great Hall, where sat a stool with a very bedraggled-looking hat upon it. The hat appeared to have many wrinkles in it, and one big, long wrinkle that seemed to be its mouth opened up and sang:

_Though old and worn,_

_And very battered I may be,_

_It has many times been sworn,_

_You'll not find a wiser hat than me._

_I can see thunder,_

_And heard lightning._

_Reveal the slightest blunder,_

_And things frightening._

_The four founders created me,_

_So I may help the school._

_I was made in harmony,_

_And set upon this stool._

_Each of them put a part,_

_Of himself inside of me._

_They gave some of their heart,_

_Just enough to make me free._

_There is brave Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the fierce at heart,_

_And the mighty lion's roar,_

_Can tell the worthy apart._

_Or there is fair Ravenclaw,_

_Where there the talented mind,_

_Can pick through the flaws,_

_Until the truth unwinds._

_And always there is Slytherin,_

_Who lives in despair and deceit,_

_Who will do anything to win,_

_And has no problem with cheat._

_But don't forget sweet Hufflepuff,_

_Who takes in all the rest,_

_Who's willing to work through the rough,_

_To obtain the very best._

_Now I'm here to give you warning:_

_The tide has turned,_

_The path has changed._

_Lessons will be learned,_

_By those deranged._

_Someone here resides,_

_Though they should not._

_Many things they hide,_

_And lies have been bought._

_So this year take care,_

_Be wary of those you trust._

_Walk these halls if you dare,_

_And only if you must._

When it was finished with its song, the entire room broke into tumultuous applause, though it was interlaced with whisperings. Ginny herself was a bit puzzled by what the Sorting Hat meant by its last words, but before she could think too much about it, Professor McGonagall started speaking.

"Now when I call your name," McGonagall said in a loud, clear voice, "you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted."

"Holland, Terrence!" A large boy, who appeared only slightly terrified at all the eyes looking at him and studying him, shuffled up to the hat and put it on.

"Slytherin!" The hat shouted out after a few seconds. As the Slytherin table erupted with cheers, Terrence made his way over to their table and sat down.

"Traily, Harold!" A very small boy, who appeared very anxious, walked up to the hat.

"Ravenclaw!"

"Johnson, Trent!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Hoculley, Holly!"

"Ravenclaw!"

Ginny's hands were numb from all the clapping. All she could think of was the feast to come. Her stomach was rumbling, and she was sure that most everybody else's was too. She glanced over at the Slytherin table, and she saw Draco Malfoy with a very bored and superior look on his face, and she just wanted to smack it off. _He thinks he's so great_, Ginny though. _Well, he should learn that looks and money aren't everything in life. One day, hopefully, he'll learn that. And I hope it hurts when it does._

She turned her attention back to the sorting, where "Chance, Emily!" was just sorted into Gryffindor. She clapped along with everybody else, smiled, and waited for the feast.

When the sorting was over, Dumbledore stood up, still clapping.

"Welcome everybody, new students and ones returning! I'm sure this year will be very exciting, and hopefully filled with learning. I have just a few announcements, and then we can get on with the feast."

"Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you once again that anything from Zonko's, as well as Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, is off limits. He says anybody caught with them will get a detention, and the offending objects will be confiscated." Argus Filch nodded in confirmation, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"Also, we have one new member to our staff this year. I would like to introduce to you our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Oleaney Juriac." The whole hall burst into more applause as Oleaney Juriac stood and gave a small bow to the hall. He was rather tall, Ginny thought, and skinny. He quickly sat back down, and Dumbledore smiled.

"Well, I know we are all hungry, so let us eat." And with that, Dumbledore sat down and food appeared on the golden dishes before them. Ginny smacked her licks appreciatively, and started filling her plate.

* * *

Later that night as Ginny was climbing into bed, she thought again about Harry. She chided herself for letting her mind wander towards him, and closed the curtains around her four poster bed. _He'll never like you like that, Ginny_ , she told herself. _If you keep thinking about him, you're going to end up hurting yourself. _

So Ginny closed her eyes and forced any thoughts of Harry Potter as far from her mind as possible.

* * *

The next morning, Ginny woke up and smiled to herself. She had just been having a pleasant dream about Quidditch and was rather upset that it had ended. Yawning, she pulled back the curtains around her bed, letting the sunlight stream in through her windows, when she realized that she was the only one left in the room.

_Oh no_, Ginny thought. She had overslept, and on the first day of classes too. She couldn't believe herself! Why did she have to be so forgetful? And why didn't the other girls wake her?

Ginny had no time for a shower, so she just tossed her hair back in a very messy pony tail. She quickly threw on the clothes she had been wearing yesterday as well as her robe, stuffed her wand in her pocket, and tore out of the sixth year girls' dormitory. As she raced through the common room, she didn't even look to see if there were any other kids late as well.

She ran down the stairs and all the way to the Great Hall, where only a few students were left. She spotted McGonagall walking away from the staff table and hurried over to her.

"P-p-professor," Ginny gasped as she skidded to a halt next to her Transfiguration teacher. Professor McGonagall pushed her glasses back on top of her nose and stared at Ginny.

"Miss Weasley, I have your class schedule here. Why were you not at breakfast?" McGonagall asked not sternly, but not too pleasantly either.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Ginny panted, clutching a stitch in her side. "I overslept and I just woke up."

"Yes, well, I do not think Severus will be too pleased. I do believe you are late for a potions class right now."

Ginny groaned. This was just great. There was no way Snape would let her out of class without a detention. Why did this have to happen to her?

"Well, Miss Weasley, I need to get to my Transfiguration lesson; I have the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor first years this morning. Of course, for the first years I am always a little late. I like to enter for their first class in my animagus form. You know, give them something to talk about. I do suggest that if you want to escape a detention, you hurry along. Tell Severus I said it was alright for you to be out of class. But do not expect kindness every time you make a mistake, Ginny."

"Yes, Professor. Thank you very much," Ginny called after McGonagall as her professor walked to her class. Ginny practically flew down the corridors to the dungeons, praying that Snape would not give her detention.

Her hopes were in vain, however, because as soon as Ginny opened the dungeon door, Snape stopped writing on the chalk board and turned to look at her.

"Detention, Weasley," Snape sneered, a look of triumph upon his greasy face.

"But, Professor, Professor McGonagall said –"

"Silence! That'll be twenty points from Gryffindor not only for being late, but for speaking out of turn. I suggest you take your seat and shut up before you get in even more trouble," Snape turned back to the chalk board.

Ginny sighed and sat down. She should've known that Snape wouldn't let her off that easily for being late. _Stupid git_, she thought to herself. The rest of the lesson flew by in a blur, and before she knew it, Snape was giving out a homework assignment.

"I want a three foot-long essay on the uses of dragon skin, why dragons are illegal as pets, and why they are close to extinction. They are due back next week. Miss Weasley," Snape continued with an evil grin on his face, "come here. We need to discuss your detention."

Ginny sighed again, which she seemed to be doing a lot lately. As everybody was walking out of the classroom, she approached Snape's desk, where he was sitting looking at a potion's book. After several minutes of silence, Snape looked up at Ginny.

"Saturday night, come down to my office for your detention. You will be cleaning out the student cupboard and re-labeling the potions bottles. No magic."

_What's the point in telling me there's no magic allowed_, Ginny thought. _There'd be no point in the detention, now would there?_ Ginny continued mocking Snape, though nothing showed of it on the outside.

"You are dismissed," Snape said, pointing towards the door. Ginny wasted no time in getting out of the dungeons.

She hurried along the corridors wondering what her next class was. She had been in such a hurry to get to Potions that she hadn't looked. Ginny reached into her bag to pull out her schedules and as she was looking down at it, she turned a corner and ran into something. She fell backwards in the middle of the hallway, and her schedule flew out of her hands. Looking up, she saw none other than Draco Malfoy standing above her, sneering down on her. He hadn't been fazed by knocking into her. His hair wasn't even messed up.

"Watch where you're going, Weasel. I don't want your filth on my new robes." Scowling, Ginny stood up and brushed off her knees. "I bet you've never even had new robes, have you?" Malfoy continued. "You always get your brother's hand-me-down robes, don't you? Is it true that your entire family lives in one room? Or that your parents have to go hungry during the summer, just to feed you and your brother? Well, no," Malfoy pretended to be thinking hard, "I suppose they don't starve. What, with how fat your mother is, I would think you were eating all of Hogsmede."

"Well, at least I'm not a Death Eater," Ginny spat.

A look of utter hatred passed over Malfoy's face and he whipped out his want to curse her when someone stepped in between them. It was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Oleaney Juriac. Ginny looked startled for a second as the professor towered over Draco, staring down at him. Ginny quickly stuffed her wand, which she didn't even remember taking out, back in her pocket, and peered around the figure in front of her.

"Now, now, what is the meaning of this Mr…Malfoy, I think it is?" Malfoy nodded, looking cautiously at the Juriac. He lowered his wand.

"Well, I think a detention is in order then, Mr. Malfoy. You should learn that we do not curse fellow students," Professor Juriac said, still looking at Draco. Ginny nodded her head and smirked at him from behind the professor's back. Draco glared at her. "Are you alright?" Professor Juriac turned for the first time to look at Ginny. She nodded quickly, and the professor asked, "What is your name?"

"Ginny Weasley," Ginny replied.

"Ah yes, Miss Weasley," Professor Juriac stated, "I do believe you have a lesson with me next. I just got done with your brother's class. I must say, he did very well. He may have a career as an Auror ahead of him if he continues working like he did earlier today." Ginny felt a burst of pride for her brother, who rarely got compliments like that. She would be sure to tell him what their professor said about him later. Right now, she was enjoying the look of disgust and disbelief on Malfoy's face.

"Actually I didn't know that my next class was with you, Professor," Ginny sated. "I was looking at my schedule when he," Ginny pointed an accusing finger at Draco, "knocked me down. So thank you very much for telling me."

"Well you're welcome very much. I know, boys can be rather rude at times, can't they? Of course, it's usually when a boy has feelings for a girl that they try to gain their attention." Professor Juriac turned towards Draco, who had a look of horror on his face at the idea of having feelings for a Weasley. "Though I would give you this bit of advice, Draco," Professor Juriac frowned, "next time you want to get a girl's attention, I would try something a little less drastic. Perhaps cursing them is not the right way, hmmm?" Ginny was shaking from holding in her laughter. The look on Draco's picture was priceless. _Oh, if only I had a camera right now_, she thought.

"Well," Oleaney Juriac continued, "Draco, come to my office six nights from now for your detention. Miss Weasley, we have a class to get to, do we not?" Ginny, shaking with laughter, followed her teacher towards her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the year. As they walked past Draco, Ginny stuck her tongue out at him. She laughed even harder at the look of total shock on Malfoy's face.

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**A/N:** Yay! We had a little action between Ginny and Draco, even though it was small. There will be more, but that's all for now. Haha, Draco sure has been getting beat by Ron lately. First the Head Boy thing, and now Ron gets complimented while Draco gets detention! Poor Draco….not really. He deserves it for trying to curse little Ginny. Ha! Anyways, review and tell me what you think. I'll post the next chapter soon…I'm almost done with it.

Lauren


	3. Draco, Detentions, and Ducks

Disclaimer: I own nothing. No Draco, no ducks, no nothing. So don't sue me.

**Chapter 3: Draco, Detentions, and Ducks**

Draco stormed into the almost empty Slytherin common room. Two 3rd years that had been standing near the fire hurried out of the room. It was a good thing too, because at that moment Draco felt like cursing anybody in sight. Thanks to Weasley, he now had a detention. Him! Draco Malfoy! He never got a detention. Not if he could help it, anyway.

Draco threw his bag onto the floor, not caring that he smashed a bottle of ink. He could always buy more. That's one thing his father was good for, his money. Draco sighed, thinking about his father. Draco was nothing like him. Everybody thought it, that Draco was a Death Eater, but he wasn't. Sure, there were some people he hated, like a certain red-haired family of blood traitors, but he would never succumb to Voldemort. Voldemort was the reason that he had a filthy family. His father never cared about him, he just wanted somebody to follow in his footsteps and serve Voldemort. His mother wasn't exactly the "maternal" type. She just wanted money to buy things, and to stay out of Lucius's way. Neither of them cared about Draco. Once Draco thought about it, he didn't care about them much, either.

_This is all Weasley's fault_, Draco thought. In the deeper part of his mind, the one that had some common sense, a little voice told him it wasn't. At the moment though, Draco was in a nasty mood and needed somebody to blame for it. Ginny Weasley happened to be that somebody. _I would've just left her be after she fell_, Draco told himself, _but she had to go and call me a Death Eater. I would_ never _become one of those- those_ _monsters_. Draco thought back to a conversation he had had with his father just weeks ago…

"_Draco," Lucius drawled, "it's time we think about when you will take the vow to serve the Dark Lord. You are coming of age now; you are almost a man…though I don't think you deserve to be called one just yet. However, after you graduate from that mockery of a school, you will become a Death Eater. The Dark Lord has decided that he wants you to serve him, just as I have done."_

_Draco looked over at his father. They were in Lucius's study, where Draco had been summoned. Draco had had a feeling that this talk was coming, and had tried to prepare for it. He did not want his any of his anger or reluctance to show to his father, but he was not succeeding in hiding it well. He frowned, considering his options. He would never become a Death Eater, never; he would die first. It wasn't that he was afraid of Voldemort, he just hated that man- no, thing- with all his heart. He couldn't very well run away from home though, because there was nowhere to go. Draco didn't think he could just switch sides in the war, either. He doubted that Dumbledore would take him on their side…that is, if Draco wanted to change sides. Draco shuddered at the thought of fighting along side Harry Potter._

"_What's the matter, Draco?" Lucius smirked at seeing Draco shudder. "Are you afraid of the Dark Lord? You should be; he is a very powerful man. You will become a Death Eater, Draco. It is either that…or death. I do not think you would prefer the latter."_

"_Yes I would," Draco muttered under his breath. He glanced up at his father, but he hadn't noticed._

"_You see Draco," Lucius motioned with his hands, walking to a bookshelf on the wall. "There are three kinds of people in this world. There are those who choose to fight for the Dark Lord, those who get beaten by the Dark Lord, and those who betray the Dark Lord. We are the former. If you were to choose the latter, well, it would not be very good for your health." Lucius picked one book from the shelf and placed it back. "The Dark Lord does have some compassion, thus, he likes to kill the Muggles and blood-traitors quickly and cleanly." Draco snorted, but his father kept on talking. "Those who betray the Dark Lord get a very slow, and painful, death. The Dark Lord does not like traitors. So once you join the Death Eaters, you will always be one. It is better to refuse the Dark Lord, than to join him and leave him." Lucius Malfoy had apparently finished speaking, and was waiting for Draco to say something. He was looking expectantly at his son. Draco fidgeted under his gaze, and pretended to be interested in his fingernail._

"_Well, Draco?"_

_Draco started to sweat. He couldn't say no, but he would never say yes. All he did was shrug his shoulders. _

"_And what is that supposed to mean?" Lucius snarled, spraying spit all over his desk, and looking uncannily like a rabid wolf. Despite the situation he was in, Draco laughed. That caused his father to become even more enraged. _

"_You think this funny, do you?" Lucius howled, slamming a book down on his desk. "Maybe you need some discipline, to shock you into reality! This is reality, Draco! Not some game! If you refuse the Dark Lord, you will die! What will it take for you to realize that?" Lucius Malfoy was practically screaming now, and Draco flinched as his ears rang. He knew what was coming. More torture. It's how his father always ended these talks of becoming a Death Eater. "Discipline", was what his father called it. "Character building". "A strengthening of will-power" was what Draco called it. Will power to defy his father…and Voldemort._

"_Crucio!" Lucius shrieked, pointing his wand at Draco's heart. Draco fell off the chair he had been sitting on and fell to the floor, twitching and trying to hold in his screams. Standing above him, Lucius Malfoy laughed as he watched his son writhe around on the floor like an ant with its legs broken off. "One day, Draco, one day you'll thank me for all of this," Lucius said with a maniacal gleam in his wide eyes. _

"_Crucio!"_

Now Weasley goes and gets him a detention. Why was life so unfair? Draco rubbed his forehead, thinking hard. Who did that professor think he was, anyway? All Draco was doing was having a little fun, the only kind he could. Then he had to jump in and save the weasel. Draco sighed, pulled himself to his feet, and walked up to the 7th year boys' dormitory. His books and smashed ink bottle lay forgotten.

* * *

That evening, Draco was sitting in the Great Hall trying to enjoy his dinner, but Pansy Parkinson kept cooing in his ear. Finally, in frustration, he slammed his fork down on his plate and turned to face the girl with a pug-like face.

"Pansy! Will you just shut your face for one second? I am trying to eat here! When will you get it through your thick head that I don't like you? I never did, so just leave me the hell alone!" And with that, Draco grabbed a roll and walked right out of the Great Hall, leaving a scowling Pansy behind him.

As he was walking down an almost empty corridor finishing his dinner roll, Ginny Weasley practically flew past him towards the Great Hall. She knocked into his shoulder, but kept on running without stopping.

"Oi! Watch where you're going, Weasley!" Draco shouted after her, but he didn't think she even heard him. Muttering to himself, he kept on walking, shaking his head in disgust. Did that girl have no sense of propriety? No girl Draco knew would just run down halls like that without even worrying that she looked like a duck. Draco laughed at that thought, and kept on walking.

* * *

The rest of his first week went by in a blur for Draco. Before he knew it, it was Saturday night, the night of his detention with Professor Juriac. As he was walking from the library that afternoon, a terrified-looking 2nd year boy came up to him and handed him a note tentatively. Before Draco could ask him anything, the boy took off running in the opposite direction. Draco laughed. Good, people still feared him. He looked down and read the very short note.

_Mr. Malfoy,_

_I am feeling ill this afternoon and will be unable to oversee your detention. Instead of prolonging it even further, you will attend your detention with Professor Snape. He has kindly offered to fill in for me. Please go down to his office at 8:00 this evening._

_-Oleaney Juriac_

Draco smirked. If his detention was with Snape, there was no way it could be bad. He crumpled the note into a little ball and threw it on the ground.

That evening, he walked down to Snape's office and knocked on the door. A voice replied, "Enter." Draco walked into the room and found Severus Snape sitting at his desk writing something. He looked up when Draco walked in and stood.

"Ah, Draco, I see you got the note about your detention. What did you do to get it, anyway?" Snape stood leaning against his desk.

"Tried to curse Weasley," Draco smirked back. "Professor Juriac caught me."

"Obviously," Snape said. His greasy face shined a little in the dim light of his office. They both stood there for a minute. Draco coughed.

"Ummm, Professor? Are we going to get started with this detention or are we going to just stand here all night?" Draco asked.

Snape, sighing, said, "We are waiting for the other person to arrive. You're not the only one with a detention tonight."

"Other person? Who else is –" at that moment there was a knock at the door, and Snape replied, "Enter."

The door opened and revealed the one person responsible for Draco being there in the first place. Ginny Weasley walked into the room, but stopped when she saw Draco standing there.

"What is he doing here?" Ginny demanded.

"I could ask the same of you, Weasley," Draco retorted.

Snape sighed especially loudly, interrupting the two teenagers. They both look over at him. "You both will be cleaning out the student cupboard, organizing it, etc. etc. And you'll do it with no magic…together."

Ginny grimaced, and Draco felt the same way. There was no way this was going to work. After all, she was a _Weasley_. This was going to be a long night.

"Move it, Malfoy," Ginny stated an over and hour later, shoving him out of the way to get to the sink. They had both just gotten finished washing out beakers containing goblin blood, and their hands were filthy.

"Manners, Weasley," Draco chided, drying off his already clean hands. Ginny mumbled something under her breath. "What was that?" Ginny turned to him with an innocent expression on her face.

"What? Nothing. I said nothing. Maybe you should clean your ears out, Malfoy. Though it probably wouldn't do you much good. You're so full of crap that I don't think there's any hope for you."

Draco opened his mouth to say something particularly nasty to her, but she just walked past him, slamming her shoulder into his.

They had everything out of the cupboard, but now had to clean the cupboard itself out. Draco was not looking forward to it. Earlier, as he had grabbed out a container of something slimy, he could have sworn that something moved in there.

As they both bent down to peer into the cabinet, Ginny shuddered next to him. Draco almost did too. A very foul odor was emanating from the cupboard, and Draco pinched his nose shut.

"Ladies first," he said through his pinched nose. Ginny snorted. "What?" Draco asked.

"You sound like a duck like that," Ginny pointed to his nose.

"Well at least I don't run like one," Draco retorted, remembering earlier that week when Ginny had tore past him in the hall. She frowned and looked up at him.

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, confusion clearly evident on his face.

"You run like a duck," continued Draco, bending down towards the cabinet once more. "Earlier this week in the hall you ran past me and when I shouted after you, I noticed that you look like a duck when you run." Draco said all this as if they were discussing the weather.

"That's absurd!" Ginny yelled. "I do not run like a duck…" she muttered under her breath. "It's impossible too. Have you ever seen a duck run? Hmmm? They _waddle_. Ducks don't run…"

"_Anyways_," Draco continued. "What's the point of all this. Are you going to start cleaning that thing out or not?"

"Me? Why should I be the one to clean it? After all, it's your detention too"

"Yes, but ladies first," Draco replied, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well, who said I was a lady?"

"Right," Draco mumbled under his breath. "You're a duck."

"What was that?" Ginny challenged.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." There was silence for a minute as the two glared at each other. Finally, Draco burst out, "Look! You should clean it! You're used to this sort of thing!"

"Used to it?" Ginny cried. "Who could be used to a smell like that?" She gestured towards the cupboard.

"You must do this sort of cleaning every day at your house. Of course you're used to it!"

"For your information –" Ginny was cut off by Snape over in the corner.

"Will the both of you just shut up and clean? I don't want to be here all night." Snape sounded exasperated.

Draco and Ginny both turned back to the cabinet. The smell was getting worse, Draco decided. He was definitely not going in there. Definitely.

"Oh fine then, you big baby. I don't want to be here all night either." Draco smirked as Ginny pushed past him with a rag, and opened the door. When she opened it, a black and brown mass of fur launched itself from the cabinet onto her face, making a horrendous sound as it did. Ginny shrieked and dropped her rag, trying to get a hold on the thing. Drops of blood appeared on her face, and she screamed louder. Draco stood there gaping at her and whatever was mutilating her face, before he grabbed his wand that had been lying on the floor and pointed it at the creature.

"Flaridia!" He shouted, and the thing dropped from Ginny's face onto the floor, twitching only slightly. He stood above Ginny, looking down at her. She was on her knees, holding her face in her hands. When she looked up, he saw deep scratch and teeth marks on her face. A look of pain was etched there, surrounded by blood.

Snape reached their side and pulled Ginny up by the shoulder.

"Take her to the Hospital Wing," he said, as he bent over and picked up the brown and black thing that lay on the floor. "I will deal with this."

"But what was that-"

"_Now_, Draco. We'll talk about this later."

Draco pushed a whimpering Ginny towards the door and into the hallway. She was covering her face with her hands, and blood was seeping through her fingers. She didn't seem to want to walk, so Draco kept poking her back all the way towards the Hospital Wing. When they got there, Draco opened the door and called for Madame Pomfrey. When the medi-witch arrived, Draco left without a word.

_Let her figure out what happened_, Draco thought. I really don't care. He assumed that the detention was over for the night, so he didn't bother going back to Snape's office. He would find out later what the creature that attacked Ginny was.

As he was walking through the hall, making his way towards the Slytherin Common room, he heard quick footsteps coming up from behind him. Turning, he saw Professor Juriac briskly walking past him and mumbling. He seemed totally oblivious to Draco standing not three feet away.

"…more careful next time…don't want to damage it…" Professor Juriac's voice trailed after him. Draco called out to him, but once again, he got no answer.

_Why does everybody ignore me these days_, Draco thought to himself. _I'm Draco Malfoy, for crying out loud. _Muttering to himself about impropriety, Draco continued walking toward the Slytherin Common room.

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**A/N:** Just so you know, the chapters do get longer. I've got some really long ones later on. The beginning of the story is just kind of slow. Review are always welcome.

Lauren


	4. The First Disappearance

Okay, now how come I only have one review? I mean, it's not that hard to just type a little something. Even if you hate the story, just REVIEW and tell me so. I just want to know that people are reading this and I'm not writing this for nobody. Because if I'm writing it for nobody I might not write too much more. I know everybody says it but reviews really do inspire the writer. So come, inspire me!

Disclaimer: Me no own.

**Chapter 4: The First Disappearance**

Ginny lay in the Hospital Wing, the moonlight streaming through the window. After Draco had left her there that night, Madame Pomfrey calmed Ginny down enough for the girl to tell her what had happened. Then Madame Pomfrey cleaned her cuts and healed them with magic so there wouldn't be any scars. Ginny had still been shaken up afterward, so Madame Pomfrey insisted that she stay the night. Ginny had agreed, and now lay quietly, thinking things over.

Draco had called her duck and her face had gotten beaten up by some creature. _What a night_, Ginny thought. She wasn't very tired and she couldn't sleep. Ron would probably be wondering where she was; she hadn't gotten back to the Gryffindor common room. _Oh well, let them worry. Maybe Harry will notice me now that I'm not there_, Ginny thought wryly. She really did need to stop thinking about him, but she knew she couldn't. She had been in love with Harry since she first saw him. But what does an 11-year old know about love? No, maybe she wasn't in love with Harry. Was it obsession? Ginny always thought obsession went with somebody who was crazy, and she wasn't crazy, so she wouldn't call it that. Temporary infatuation? Six years didn't seem too temporary to Ginny. What was it then? What _did_ she feel for Harry?

She sighed and turned her head. As the clock on the wall continued to tick, she heard a noise. Just a slight creaking. She sat up and looked around. Nothing looked out of place, but she still strained her ears, listening for the noise again.

Then, right before her eyes, Harry, Ron, and Hermione appeared. Hermione was holding Harry's invisibility cloak in her hands, and they were all peering at her. Then Ron rushed over to her side.

"Ginny! What happened? How come you never came back from detention? Why are you in the Hospital Wing?" Ron kept throwing questions at her, but Hermione came up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ron, slow down. Give her a chance to answer back." Hermione turned to Ginny, and Ginny looked at Harry, who was looking back at her. She was happy to see concern on his face.

"I was doing my detention down in Snape's office and I was cleaning out the student cupboard and this thing jumped out at me and started ripping my face to shreds. That's all, really." Ginny said all in one breathe. Ron opened his mouth to say something but Hermione interrupted him.

"That can't be all, Ginny. There must be more details. What happened?" Harry still had not said anything.

Ginny sighed. "Something jumped out of the cupboard and was attacking me. Then Malfoy cursed it or something so it fell-"

"Malfoy?" Harry and Ron said simultaneously. "What was Malfoy doing there?" Ron looked angry.

"He had a detention too that night, and we both had to clean out the student cupboard. It was very nasty actually," Ginny remembered that awful smell. She gave a slight chuckle. "It smelt so bloody disgusting. But anyway, Malfoy cursed it off and Snape made him bring me up here. Then he left, Pomfrey fixed me, I had to stay the night, that's all there is to it!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were just staring at her.

"What?" Ginny asked.

"Well what was it that attacked you?" Ron questioned. "I always thought there was something living in that cupboard; it always tried to get me when I went in there. I don't think it likes me much."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I don't know what it was. I wasn't too concerned about that at the moment. Then Snape made us leave before we could ask questions. Or did Malfoy ask what it was?" Ginny thought back for a moment. The pain had been terrible, so she wasn't too sure what had happened. Also, blood had been all over her face, so she hadn't been able to see well at the time. "I really don't remember much of what happened."

"It was probably a werrel," Hermione said casually. Three sets of eyes turned to look at her.

"A what?" Harry asked.

"A werrel," Hermione said. "I read about them. They like to live in dark places, preferably malodorous ones. I suppose when you were cleaning out his home, he didn't like that too much, and since there were no more bottles or containers for him to hide behind, he felt threatened and attacked you out of self-defense. It would've been like a ball of fur, teeth, and claws, right? And brown and black in color?"

"Yeah," Ginny replied. "Well I don't think I like werrels much, then." Everybody was silent for a minute, and Harry coughed.

"Why do you have to stay here?" Ron asked. "You look fine to me."

"I don't know, Ron," Ginny said exasperated. "You know Pomfrey. She likes having people stay overnight. But she said I could leave in the morning."

"Well, we'll let you rest," Hermione said, motioning Ron and Harry towards the door. "We'll see you at breakfast tomorrow."

"Bye," Ginny said, watching the three retreating figures. When the door shut she lay back down, and after much tossing and turning, she fell sound asleep.

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The next day was Sunday. Ginny was using the last day of the weekend to catch up on homework. The teachers seemed to take pleasure in burdening their students with lots of work. Ginny grumbled to herself has she dumped her heavy load of books down onto a table in the library. Madame Pince looked up from her desk and pursed her lips at the noise Ginny was making, but Ginny didn't care; she had lots of essays to finish.

Hours went by, and before Ginny knew it, dinner was being served in the Great Hall. She had been so absorbed in her research on dragons for Snape's essay that she had completely forgotten about lunch. As she shut her book and looked up, she noticed that she was the only person left in the library.

Standing up, she stretched and sighed at the ache in her neck. _Sitting hunched over for too long is not such a good idea_, Ginny decided. After she had put all her books back on the shelf she walked out of the library.

On her way down to the Great Hall, she paused to use the girl's lavatory. When she was done and was washing her hands, a small group of 2nd year Ravenclaw girls walked in. One in particular looked distraught. A very short girl with long, straight blonde hair was wringing her hands and looked close to tears. Three other girls where patting her shoulders and trying to comfort her.

"But I just don't know where he could be!" The upset girl said. "He said to meet him in the Great Hall this morning because mum sent him something he wanted to show me. I haven't seen him all day!"

"Oh don't worry, Rebecca, he's probably just hiding because I beat him at Exploding Snap yesterday," one tall girl with brown hair said. "He's just ashamed, that's all. Trust me, he'll turn up soon. And if not, we'll just go to Professor Dumbledore. He'll know what to do."

The other girls murmured their reassurances as well, while Rebecca still looked troubled. Ginny hurried past them and out of the bathroom. Her stomach was rumbling and she wasn't going to let anything get in her way.

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The next day, Monday, Ginny had just finished her Potions lesson. She was in a sour mood, mainly because of Snape. She had worked so hard on that stupid essay, and what did he say about it? _Lacks information_. Ginny made a twisting motion with her hands, thinking of how she would like to wring Snape's neck. After letting out a small stream of curses, she slammed her bag on the ground and took a seat in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

All the students were assembled and quietly chatting when Professor Juriac strode into the room. He set down a stack of papers on his desk and turned to face his pupils with a bright smile.

"Well, I hope all of you have done the homework that I gave you last week. I will collect the papers at the end of class. Today though, we will be studying Privivero charm. The Privivero charm is used to tell the true nature of something. For example," Professor Juriac put his hand on his chin and leaned against his desk. "Say that you have two owls. One is yours, a pet. The other though, is not. Yet you cannot tell the difference between them. You simply perform the Privivero charm, and the imposter is revealed to you and to you alone. It is, per se, an epiphany. Nobody else other than the caster of the charm knows what is going on. Inside your mind, the imposter is shown to you. We will be practicing it today."

With many curious eyes watching him, Professor Juriac pulled from behind his desk a large, blue piece of poster-board. He set it on the ground, balancing it against the front of the desk. He turned and smiled at his students.

"Now," he said, his eyes twinkling with a light Ginny had never seen there before, "one of the halves of this board is not blue; it is red. However, we must cast the Privivero charm on it to see which the fake is. I will call upon each student, to see how they do. Then, after everybody has had a chance to cast the charm, we will do something a little different."

Ginny looked at her fellow students. They all seemed eager to try this Privivero charm and were gazing at the bored as if they could tell the sides apart by staring at it. She turned her attention back to the professor.

"To cast the Privivero charm, you simply point your wand at the object you wish to reveal, in this case, the board, and you say _Privivero_, in a strong, clear voice. The rest, you will see if you cast the charm correctly. Now, Travis, come here and you can go first."

Travis, a Hufflepuff, walked to the front of the class, looking confident. After a few quiet words between professor and student, Travis pointed his wand at the board and said, "Privivero.

A jet of blue light shot towards the blue board, and the board seemed to absorb it. Travis closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them, and smiled at Professor Juriac.

"Well, Travis, I assume you saw which side is not really blue," Professor Juriac said with a knowing smile. "Whisper it to me, so nobody else will know the answer if they do not cast the charm correctly." Travis whispered something to the professor and received a nod and another smile. Travis then returned to his seat and sat down, looking very proud.

"Okay, then. Who wants to go next?" Many hands shot into the air, including Ginny's. However, another Hufflepuff girl was called on.

After about 15 minutes, only Ginny and a few other students were left to try the Privivero charm. So far, mostly everybody had successfully been able to tell apart the sides of the board. Only a few had failed. When Professor Juriac called up Ginny, she eagerly walked to the front of the class.

"Now, Ginny," Professor Juriac said softly, "just point your wand right in the middle of the board, and say the spell." Ginny nodded and aimed her wand.

"Privivero."

Ginny's eyes were forced shut and a white light seemed to shine in her eyes. In her head, she saw the board, only this time it wasn't all blue. The right side of the board glowed red. Ginny smiled to herself, and the image disappeared. She opened her eyes and glanced at the professor, who was smiling yet again. Ginny walked up to him and whispered in his ear, "The right side is red."

"Very good, Ginny." Professor Juriac beamed at her. She turned and sat down in her seat.

After everybody in the class had attempted the charm and either failed or succeeded, Professor Juriac took the board and placed it once more behind the desk. Then he turned and faced the class.

"Now we are going to do things a little differently. Call it an experiment, if you will. You see, if this were reality, then the objects that you would be casting the spell on would probably not be a mere board. It light of this war, it could very well be a human. As you all know, with the use of a Polyjuice Potion, somebody can basically turn into someone else. In look, feel, and attitude, somebody can appear to be something they're not. The only way to tell them apart is to either wait until the potion wears off, or to use Veritaserum. In certain situations, that may not be quick enough. That is where the Privivero charm is used. Now there is one thing I haven't told you about this particular spell. When cast on a human, if done incorrectly, it backfires. The result is not too terrible. It is more like a jolt of electricity. That and it may knock the caster of the spell out for a few hours." Ginny looked warily at her fellow students, who no longer looked so excited.

"What I will need is three volunteers. Or it doesn't really matter if you volunteer; I'll get three people to help anyway. How about…" Professor Juriac searched through the classroom with his eyes, looking for students to use. "Ginny, Lilas, and Ned. You three please come up front." Ginny nervously led the way to towards Professor Juriac, followed by Lilas, a small girl in Hufflepuff, and Ned, a very tall and handsome boy in Gryffindor.

The three stood in front of the class room, darting looks at each other, remembering Professor Juriac's mentioning of a jolt of electricity. The professor gave them a reassuring nod and addressed the entire room.

"Now, I will cast an allusion spell on Lilas, and she will look exactly like Ginny." Ginny stared at Oleaney Juriac. This was going to be weird. "Ned will then cast the Privivero charm on them, to see which one is really Ginny, and which one is really Lilas. Are you ready everybody?" The three students nodded, but Ginny wasn't sure if she was.

Professor Juriac turned towards Lilas, who had a look of apprehension on her face, and shouted "Fisninani!" A pale green jet of light shot towards Lilas and she was covered in a cloud of smoke of the same color. She was completely obscured in the smoke, and Ginny couldn't see anything of her. Then the smoke cleared, and what Ginny saw gave her a shock. It was like looking into a mirror. Standing five feet away from Ginny was…Ginny. Ginny stared in shock at her clone, and leaned closer to inspect her. Sure enough, Lilas looked exactly like Ginny Weasley. The real Ginny was astounded. Lilas even had the tiny scar on her neck that she had gotten when she had been swimming and cut it on a rock.

The other students were gasping and gaping, and even Professor Juriac looked a little surprised. Both Ginny and Lilas turned back to the rest of the class.

"Ginny, Lilas, both of you step out of the class and shut the door, and then come back in, so none of us knows who the real Ginny is," Professor Juriac stated. Without a word, Ginny and Lilas exited the classroom.

Once they were outside, Lilas said, "This is really weird."

"Yeah, I know. You look exactly like me! What does it feel like?"

"It feels normal," Lilas replied, staring down at her body. "I actually feel better as you. I'm skinnier this way," Lilas giggled. Ginny offered a weak smile, and after a few moments, opened the door and they walked into the classroom.

Everybody was waiting for them. The two girls walked over to Ned and stood facing him.

"Alright, now Ned, just remember what I said, and you'll be fine." Ned gulped, nodded, and pointed his wand toward Ginny. He shouted, "Privivero!" and a blue light hit her, and Ginny felt oddly light, like she was floating. She felt totally oblivious to her surroundings, but was yanked out of her dreaminess when she heard Ned yell. Ginny opened her eyes and stared at Ned, who was lying unconscious on the floor. Professor Juriac rushed to his side and felt his pulse. He relaxed some, and called over another boy.

"Levitate him to Madame Pomfrey and tell her what happened." The boy nodded and left with Ned floating behind him. Then Professor Juriac walked over to Ginny and Lilas. "Which one of you is Lilas?" he asked, looking back and forth between the two girls. Lilas raised her hand. The professor murmured a few words that Ginny did not here, and when she turned around she was facing Lilas who looked like Lilas, not Ginny.

"Class is dismissed for today," Professor Juriac called out, and everybody immediately gathered their things together and headed out the door. Ginny lingered behind, and after everyone was gone, she approached her teacher.

"Umm, Professor?" Ginny questioned. Oleaney Juriac looked up from his desk, where he was busy writing a letter.

"Oh, yes, Ginny? Did you have a question?"

"Well, sir, will Ned be alright? I mean, what happened to him?" Professor Juriac looked thoughtful for a moment, and then answered her.

"Well, Ginny, the spell did not work," he kept writing his letter. "He cast the spell at one particular person instead of both of you. I explained to the other students while you and Lilas went outside how the backfiring process worked if the spell was cast incorrectly. Obviously, Ned did not do it right. Don't worry; he will be awake in a few hours. In the mean time, though," he put down his quill and folded the paper, "would you please deliver this to Professor McGonagall? It is a note explaining why Ned will not be in her class."

"Yes, Professor," Ginny nodded and grabbed the letter. Then she turned and left to deliver the note.

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The next evening at dinner, Ginny was just finishing a second helping of treacle tart. She gave a small burp, but nobody noticed. Ginny was especially thankful for that, since Harry was sitting directly across from her, talking to Ron about Quidditch. Hermione had her nose stuffed in a surprisingly thin book, and was ignoring her two best friends' idle chatter.

She was about to leave to finish off some homework when Professor Dumbledore stood.

"I have an announcement to make, and it is not of pleasant things." Indeed, Dumbledore did not look happy, but rather grave. "It seems one of our students is missing." The previously quiet hall suddenly filled with whisperings. Ginny glanced over at the Ravenclaw table and saw the girl she had seen yesterday, Rebecca. She looked somber. "It seems we cannot find Albert Harding, a 3rd year Ravenclaw boy. If anybody has seen him in the last two days, or sees him since now, please tell one of the teachers or me at once. We have posted pictures and information about him in all the common rooms. We do not think he is in any danger, rather that perhaps he has gotten lost somewhere in the castle. There are many passageways and tunnels that have yet to be discovered, and we are hoping that he has stumbled into one of these and has not found his way out. We will be conducting searches soon, and we urge everybody to join in these. Thank you, and have a good night."

A/N: Hope you liked that chapter because it wasn't my favorite. I had a bit of writer's block halfway through it, but I fixed it. Anyway, I hate that ending, but I couldn't think of anything better and I wanted to post this chapter tonight, so there you go. Sorry about the lack of Draco, but we'll see more of him soon. PLEASE review and tell me what you think.

Lauren


	5. Searching for Albert Harding

Well I updated this a lot sooner than planned, but I got some reviews and I just couldn't resist. Thank you SO MUCH for the reviews. You really made my day.

**IMustNotChaseTheBoys**- Wow, ducks can run? I didn't know that. I've never actually seen a duck up close that was alive, so I just assumed they waddled, hahaha. Awww, thanks. I thought privivero was pretty cool too. Thanks for the review.

**louey31**- Thanks for the review, and the compliments. I love to write so I try my best to do it well. I hope you keep reading….and reviewing.

**QueenThayet12990**- Haha, your reviews made me so hyper. I kept smiling while reading them. Yes, it will be Ginny/Draco, but it'll just take a while to get there. I don't like it when people just rush into the love, it's gotta take it's time. Lol, anyway now you've got 16 reviews. I know, don't you just love reviews? They're so wonderful. Oh, and I LOVE the word fantasmical.

Disclaimer: Nope. Though it is hard to accept, I do not own any of J.K. Rowling's wonderful stories. I wish I did though. Wouldn't that be cool?

**Chapter 5: Searching for Albert Harding**

Draco slept fitfully that night. Somebody was missing? That never happened, at least not at Hogwarts. He couldn't figure out why he even cared. He didn't; he had never even heard of Albert Harding. The whole thing though, somebody disappearing without anybody knowing what happened, seemed like something his father would do. But what would his father want with a 13 year old boy? It didn't make sense……none of it did.

Draco threw the covers off his bed and stood up. There was absolutely no way he was going to be able to sleep. He loosely pulled on a shirt and then his robe. Crabb and Goyle never noticed as he silently walked out of the dormitory and down the stairs. He sighed when the Slytherin portrait closed behind him, and the silent halls of Hogwarts seemed oddly comforting. Without any idea of the time, he wandered about, thinking things over.

Quidditch tryouts would be soon….the first game of the season was in two months. Draco had to admit, the Slytherin team was horrible. Crabb and Goyle were the beaters, but only because nobody else tried out for that position. Hopefully, somebody new would come along this year, somebody who could actually hit the bludger.

Draco was just thinking of some new moves he could try as soon as he got on the Quidditch field when he heard footsteps. He whirled around, but saw nobody. He listened again, and decided the footsteps were coming his way, but they were coming from around the corner. He cursed in his head. If anybody caught him out after curfew, he was going to be in serious trouble. He definitely didn't feel like another detention. Turning around, he started running in the opposite direction the noises were coming from, but as he started running, the footsteps quickened their pace as well. Just before he turned the corner, he heard somebody shout, "Immobulus!" and Draco was frozen in place. Since Draco had been running, he had one foot in the air, and one on the ground. Frozen like that, one arm at his side and one in the air, Draco lost his balance and fell over side-ways. His feet and arms stayed in the same position.

Somebody trotted up to Draco, but he couldn't tell who it was. He received a nudge in the side, and he flipped over. Bending over him, a look of amusement clearly written on his face, was Ronald Weasley. Draco cursed. He may despise Weasley's guts, but Weasley was the one with the Head Boy badge pinned on his robe, and Weasley was the one who could make his life hell at that moment.

"Well look who we have here." Ron looked very smug. "Somebody out on a little stroll, perhaps? Or doing something else…" Draco knew he must look ridiculous, sprawled on the ground like he was. The entire situation was very un-Malfoyish. But he couldn't do anything until Ron took the spell off him. When he did, if Draco didn't control his emotions, he was likely to rip Weasley to shreds. As it was, he could feel the hatred radiating off himself in waves.

"Now, I could turn you in," Ron appeared to be thinking. "I could take away house points, give you a detention. I must say, that would be very pleasing…but I can think of a _better_ punishment." Ron was now smiling evilly, something he rarely did, and Draco suddenly got a very bad feeling. "I think I'll just…leave you here, you know? Let you think all this through. Then, in the morning, somebody will find you and if they like you enough, maybe they'll take that spell of you." Ron laughed. "You look ridiculous, by the way. Just so you know, it's a little past midnight, so you've got at least 7 more hours until people head down to breakfast." Laughing, Ron headed back down the hall, but before he turned the corner, he called back to Draco.

"Oh, and Malfoy? 50 points from Slytherin for being out after hours." With that said, Ron walked off, leaving Draco in a very bad situation.

He tried moving his fingers and toes, but nothing happened. The only thing he could do was move his eyes, and that did him absolutely no good; his wand was still in his back pocket. It seemed Weasley had gotten the best of him this time. There was nothing he could do but wait until morning, and pray that either Crabb or Goyle found him first. _Even if they do find me_, Draco thought, _I bet neither of them would know how to take this stupid spell off me_. He sighed, and prepared himself for a long night.

Hours passed, and Draco had to go to the bathroom. He forced himself to wait, because peeing in his pants would only further embarrass himself when morning came. He tried many things to pass the time. He counted as high as he could, but got lost somewhere around 2995. He tried naming all the spells he had ever learned, but that gave him a headache so he stopped. Finally, around 4 o'clock in the morning (though Draco didn't know that) he fell asleep.

_He was soaring through the air on his broomstick. With the wind in his hair, Draco had never felt so alive._

_Then Ron Weasley appeared before him and shouted "Immobulus!" Laughing and pointing, he taunted Draco, saying how he'd be stuck on his broomstick for the rest of his life. _

_Draco tried to scream out, but his mouth wouldn't work. Pulling and straining with all his might, he wrenched himself loose from the broom, but then he was falling…falling…_

Draco woke up to somebody poking him in the side. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring into two very bright, very big green eyes. Whatever had poked him jumped back with a start, tripped over its feet, and fell over backward. It was a house-elf.

The house-elf righted itself, and tentatively looked at Draco. Draco tried to tell it to un-curse him, but he couldn't say a word, so he settled with staring at the house-elf, as if to tell him through his eyes. The elf continued looking warily at him.

"Would sir be needing any assistance?" the elf squeaked in a high-pitched voice. Draco tried to nod, but couldn't, so he rapidly blinked his eyes. "Sir?" Draco kept blinking. "Can sir not speak?" In his head, Draco was yelling _No! I cannot speak, you dimwit! Help me!_ But of course the elf didn't hear him.

"Perhaps Neli should go get somebody to help you sir. Neli is a good house-elf, and I will help you." Draco's eyes went wide, and he tried to shake his head. He watched hopelessly as the house-elf Neli quickly ran away. Who knows who she would bring back for help? Draco tried once again to move his hands, move anything, but nothing worked.

Soon, he heard more footsteps. He cringed inwardly before looking up. This could be very embarrassing. To his immense relief, he saw Snape striding towards him, an amused look on his face. He stopped in front of Draco, and stared down at him momentarily, before taking out his wand and saying softly, "Enervate".

Immediately Draco's arms and legs fell limp, and he struggled to sit up. His muscles screamed in protest and his whole body felt like a million needles were ripping through him. To say his muscles were cramped would be a serious understatement.

"What is the meaning of all this, Draco?" Snape still looked slightly amused, but his eyebrows were raised.

"Weasley…"Draco said through clenched teeth. That was twice in a week that a Weasley had gotten the best of him. He was furious.

"Weasley cursed you? Which one?"

"Ron Weasley," Draco was still shaking with rage. Oh, he would get him back. He would get him back good. Both him and his sister.

"Well, I'll make sure to deal with him appropriately. Right now, though, breakfast will be served soon, and I think you should make yourself more presentable before then. You look terrible at the moment. No need for anybody to see you like this, right? Go on then, get out of here."

Draco didn't need to be told twice. Stumbling down the hallway towards the Slytherin common room, he silently cursed the entire Weasley family and vowed to get revenge.

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That evening after dinner, Draco was approached by Snape.

"Draco, remember last evening when Professor Dumbledore said we would be starting searches for that boy?" Draco nodded, wondering what Snape wanted. "Well, he wants students from each house searching for him, and so far, nobody from Slytherin has volunteered." A look of dread passed over Draco's face. He had seen the sheets posted in all the house common rooms, as well as in every class. Albert Harding seemed to be a small boy for his age. He had blonde hair, brown eyes, and only one younger sister, who also was in Ravenclaw. The posters bored him, so he pushed all thoughts of helping search for him out of his mind. What did he care about Albert Harding? It wasn't his fault the little twerp went and got himself lost. Why should he have to work to find him?

"I need you to get together at least 15 other students, and you will meet down in the Great Hall tomorrow morning. Everybody will be split into groups, and those groups will then have certain areas to search."

The last thing Draco felt like doing was searching for somebody. Actually, it wasn't the searching part he didn't mind. It was the _caring_ part. Why should he help someone else? Unless there was something in it for him…

"Professor? What about classes? How are we going to look for this kid if we have classes?" Draco thought he had caught on to something.

"The students that participate in the searches are exempt of their classes during the morning," Snape said. Draco smirked at this and started to open his mouth to agree when Snape cut him off. "However they will be making up those classes in the afternoon after their regular classes." Draco shut his mouth, looking sullen. Oh this was going to be _loads_ of fun.

Sighing, Draco nodded his head. Snape looked pleased and walked away. Looking like he would be forced to live with the Weasley's for the rest of his life, Draco trudged back towards the Slytherin Common room, dreading the coming day.

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Smirking as Crabb and Goyle groaned in protest, Draco led the way to the Great Hall early the next morning. He had managed to get 15 students to join him in this search for Albert Harding, only because they had been too frightened to say no. Crabb and Goyle were the first ones he had gone too; the exercise would do them good.

When he got downstairs, he noticed that there were many students already waiting. Potter, Granger, and Weasley were among them. Draco scowled. They were standing there, talking with some of their other friends Draco recognized as Thomas, Finnigan, and, Draco smirked, Longbottom. That boy was borderline squib.

Draco avoided the lot of them and stood in the corner, chatting idly about Quidditch. Draco was thinking about setting up tryouts for next week. He was just thinking up a new move when Professor McGonagall walked into the room.

"Alright, students. We will be dividing you all up into four groups, with a leader for each group. Since all the Professors have classes we need to attend, we cannot do this. We will be deciding leaders for each group, and decide who goes in that group." Draco looked around. There was no way he wasn't going to be made a group leader. No way.

"Each the Head Boy and the Head Girl will have their own group to lead, and Misters McMillan and Finnigan will have their own group to lead." Draco's mouth fell open in shock. How come he didn't get to lead a group? Did they not think he'd do a good job? Draco scowled. He was seriously thinking of walking right out of the room.

Professor McGonagall then had each Ron, Hermione, Ernie, and Seamus stand next to the wall, and she put different students in each group. Draco was waiting not so patiently, and he was letting everyone know he didn't want to be there. Tapping his foot, he sighed ridiculously loudly, and almost everyone in the room turned to look at him. He received a glare from the professor, so he stopped.

Potter ended up in the Mudblood's group, and the two Weasels were in the same group. There were only a few people left, including Draco. When the Professor reached him, she looked at him a few seconds, and then said, "Mr. Weasley's group."

Sighing, Draco dragged his feet over there. At least it wasn't the famous Potter's group. He thought of something, and his steps quickened. This would be the perfect time to start his revenge on those lousy Weasley's who dared to get him, Draco Malfoy, into trouble. Draco could get himself in trouble; he didn't need any help.

Smirking, Draco brushed past the Ron, and started leading the way. He had no idea where they were going; he hadn't heard McGonagall when she had given Weasley instructions. Slowing down, he heard Weasley quickly closing the distance between them and resuming the position of leader. Draco fell back in line, thinking of ways to get even with Ron and Ginny Weasley.

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After a while, Draco still hadn't thought of anything. They were apparently in some underground tunnel, which Draco could only assume meant they were somewhere under Hogwarts. Unfortunately, the only other Slytherin in their group was someone Draco didn't know well, and he didn't feel in a friendly mood. _A tunnel underground would be a great place for revenge_, Draco thought. _The only problem is, I can't think of anything to do to them!_

They continued walking, Ron and Ginny upfront and leading the way. Supposedly this Harding kid could've gotten lost down here, and they were looking for him. He understood how somebody could get lost down here; it was so dark everybody had their wands out. Though he couldn't see well, he could tell that the walls were mostly made out of dirt, and it was damp and mucky. Thick and mucky, the air left a foul taste in Draco's mouth. Stumbling over a thick root in the ground, he walked on.

Soon, an idea for his retaliation popped into his mind, and he moved up front to walk with the Weasleys. Ginny had been saying something to her brother, but fell grew stiff and silent at his approach. Draco ignored this and walked a little ways to Ron's right.

"I see you got away all right," Ron said smugly. Bursting out laughing, Ginny looked over at Draco, who did something a Malfoy never did: blushed. Then Draco did something all Malfoys do: scowled.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." Draco kept walking, and remembering what they were there for, shined his wand in the darkest places. Nowhere did he see any sign of Albert Harding.

"What were you doing out, anyway?" Ron glanced at him.

"None of your business, _Weasel_!" Draco shot back. "And just so you know, Snape isn't too happy about what you did. He says he'll 'deal with you appropriately'. So you better watch your back. He may not be the _only one_ dealing with you. Or you _baby sister_."

"You leave Ginny out of this!" Looking angry enough to kill him, Ron turned and faced Draco, an ugly snarl forming on his face. Whipping out his wand at the exact same time Ron did, Draco turned to face him as well.

"Or you'll _what_, Weasley? Exactly what will you do if I don't?" Draco whispered in an animus voice. They were staring each other down. Ginny pulled on Ron's shoulders and positioned herself in between them, facing Ron.

"Ron, just leave him be. He's not worth the effort." Ron kept staring at Draco, seeming oblivious to his sister. He jerked his head down to look at her though when she shouted, "Ron!"

"Whatever," muttered Ron. He walked off, pulling Ginny with him.

Smirking, Draco fell once more towards the back of the group, which only contained about 20 students. He was just working out the finer details of his revenge when he heard a shout from ahead. Pushing his way through everybody, Draco made his way to the front. His mouth dropped open at what he saw.

Lying face down, not moving, was Albert Harding.

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-------------A/N: Ok everybody hope you liked that chapter. It turned out a lot shorter than I had originally planned, but I figured that was a good place to end this chapter. Haha, sorry about the evil cliffhanger, but I just had to do it. I won't be able to update for about a week or so because I have family coming in. Review though! You know I love them…

Lauren


	6. Everything Will Be Alright

**QueenThayet12990**- Sorry if Ron is turning out evil; that's not my intention. I just start writing and that's what comes out. I'll try to make him a bit more, "blonde" as you put it, lol. I'll at least try to make him more like himself. Thanks for the review!

**IMustNotChaseTheBoys**- You're right. It doesn't matter if he's not moving. You'll just have to read to find out if he's dead or not. I'm glad you like it, and keep reviewing!

Disclaimer- Darn. I don't own any of these characters. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this, would I? I'd be sitting on a beach in Hawaii, drinking one of those smoothies out of a coconut. And I'd have a little umbrella in it too.

**Chapter 6: Everything Will Be Alright**

Ginny stared open-mouthed at Albert, shocked that they had actually found him. Her instincts kicked in however, and she rushed to his side. Everybody crowded around watching anxiously. Checking his pulse, she found he was breathing. He merely seemed to be unconscious. She turned him over.

"He's alright," Ginny called out. Many people let out their breaths. Ron came over tentatively, looking warily down at Ginny and Albert.

"He's okay?"

"Yes, he's fine," Ginny said. She was very relieved that he wasn't hurt…or worse.

She levitated him and the entire group turned around and headed back through the tunnel. Ginny assumed they had only been underground for about an hour or so. Ron turned to a Hufflepuff boy and instructed him to run ahead and tell the professors they had found Albert. The boy took off running, and soon was lost from sight.

As Albert floated eerily behind her, she thought about what Draco had said. _Watch your back_. What was he going to do? Ginny tried to shove all thoughts of Draco Malfoy from her mind. If he tried anything, Ron would beat him to a pulp. She smiled as the image of Malfoy squashed into goo floated through her mind. But he had warned her brother as well. She should just have to be extra careful…that's all.

Before too long, they reached the entrance to the tunnel, which seemed to be somewhere in the dungeons. Professor Dumbledore was waiting, as well as Madame Pomfrey and the boy Ron had sent to fetch them. When they emerged, Ginny shielded her eyes from the light as Pomfrey and Dumbledore hurried over to Albert.

Madame Pomfrey quickly took control of the situation. She started walking off, Albert drifting after her, and Dumbledore was quick to follow. Before he got too far away however, he turned and came back.

"Good work…all of you. Mr. Harding will be fine, Madame Pomfrey assures me. You all have done excellent work; each of you will receive 10 points to your house for the assistance you have given. Now, you haven't missed many classes, so off you go." Then Dumbledore left, hurrying to catch up to the school nurse.

Ginny sighed and headed towards the Gryffindor common room. She was supposed to be in Herbology, and she needed to get her books.

When she had gotten her books and was heading down to her Herbology class, something glinting in the light caught her eye. Stooping over, she snatched up a beautiful silver bracelet. The bracelet had a very thin chain, and small, diaphanous stars dangled from it. The stars were attached to other chains, and they all hung at different lengths. It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry Ginny had ever seen. She looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of its owner, but she saw only a few students hurrying to class. Clasping it to her wrist, Ginny started off at a slight jog to Herbology. She didn't notice a pair of eyes watching her from the shadows.

Late that afternoon, Ginny was sitting in the library with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They were all trying to write essays, and Ginny found it very hard to concentrate. She kept sneaking looks towards Harry, but he was always either talking to Ron or had his head in a book. Ginny sighed. She _really_ needed to forget about him.

After about an hour or so, a girl came up to Harry. She had waist length blonde hair that was perfectly straight. Looking at her robe, Ginny noticed that she was a 7th year Ravenclaw. Ginny thought she was gorgeous. Apparently, Harry and Ron thought so too. They were staring up at her with eyes wide and jaws dropped. Ginny scowled.

"Excuse me," the girl said in a voice that flowed like music. "Harry, my name is Jenny Troustoal. I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmede with me next month. And maybe, do something before then, too?"

Harry stood up, and Ginny noticed that Jenny was much taller than she was. Jenny was almost as tall as Harry, but not quite. She looked perfect standing next to him.

"I'd love to," Harry smiled at her. Jenny smiled at him. Ginny scowled.

"Great. Well, I should be going. I'll see you around, Harry." With that, Jenny walked out of the library, where she was immediately surrounded by a group of giggling girls. Then they were lost from Ginny's sight.

"Nice one, mate!" Ron shouted at Harry, who couldn't stop smiling. Ginny felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest. She was shocked. Of course she always knew Harry never liked her like that, but to see first hand that he didn't, well, it hurt. A few tears appeared in her eyes, and she hid behind her book. Hermione was smiling at Harry. Quickly though, her feelings of being betrayed left her. They were replaced by anger.

"Well, aren't you all happy for me?" Harry asked them.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but Ginny interrupted her.

"No I'm not happy!" Ginny shouted at him. "Don't you know how I feel about you? I've always liked you! Bloody hell, Harry! Why couldn't you have just asked _me_ out?"

Silence engulfed their table. Ron, with his smile frozen in place, stopped slapping Harry on the back and gawked at his sister. Harry looked taken aback and fell into his seat. With wide eyes, Hermione slowly put her book down and stared at Ginny. Ginny herself was starting to feel sick. _Why did I say that? I didn't mean to say that! Oh no, what have I done?_

Ginny stood up so fast that her chair tumbled to the floor. Leaving her books, quills, and three very shocked friends behind, she ran out of the library, tears streaming down her face.

When she got to her room, she slammed the door shut and locked it. She didn't care if the other girls couldn't get in. Right at that moment, she didn't care about anything except what she had just done.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," Ginny kept crying to herself. "What have I done? He'll never want to speak to me again." Ginny was sitting on her bed, arms wrapped around her knees. She rested her head on her knees, her hair falling around her face. She had been so incredibly stupid to say what she had. That had been what she was thinking, but she never planned on actually saying it.

Ginny moaned and rolled over on her side. _I'm never coming out of this room_, she thought. _I don't care if I die in here…it would be easier than this_. Like a broken faucet, tears continued streaming down her face. Soon, she fell asleep.

Ginny was awoken from her slumber when she heard pounding on her door. _Just go away_, she thought. _Leave me alone_. But the incessant knocking didn't stop, so she got up and went to the door.

"Who is it?" Ginny croaked. Her voice sounded unfamiliar to her. She was all stuffed up from crying, but a there was a certain dead tone to it.

"Hermione," a gentle voice called from the other side. "Let me in, Gin. We need to talk."

Silently, Ginny opened the door, and Hermione came in. "Talk all you want, Hermione. I'm never coming out. After what I did, Harry will never want to speak to me again." She went over and sat on the bed, her head hanging down. Hermione sat next to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Oh Ginny, it's not that bad. Harry - well, Harry just needs a little time. He'll forget all about it eventually." Tears started leaking from her eyes again. Ginny just sat and sobbed.

"I brought your books back," Hermione said. She chuckled. "When you left, Harry and Ron just sat there for like five minutes, their mouths open and everything. Believe me, they'll get over it." They were silent for a minute, and Ginny's crying subsided. She sniffed a few times and looked up.

"I thought you gave up on Harry a long time ago," Hermione said, looking at Ginny sadly.

"I tried," whispered Ginny, staring down at her hands. "I just couldn't though. I kept holding on to this tiny belief that one day he'd just say he loved me and ask me out." Her lip quivered. "I was so stupid," she said as tears again formed in her eyes, though they never fell.

"No, Ginny, no you weren't. It's just that sometimes we do and say things we don't mean. It's not your fault."

Swallowing hard, Ginny looked up and gave a tiny smile. "Thanks, Hermione. You're like the sister I always wanted but never got." Hermione smiled back and gave her a big hug.

"Do you want some food? Everyone's down at dinner." Violently, Ginny shook her head.

"No. I don't think that would be a good idea. I mean, look at me." Ginny threw her hands in the air and let them flop back down to her sides. Her eyes were red and extremely puffy, and her hair was disheveled. Hermione nodded at her.

"Well, I'll bring you something up, then. I know you're hungry." Ginny smiled again, and Hermione left. She sat down on her bed, thinking hard. Hermione was probably right; she always was. It was just going to be awkward around Harry for a while. "Everything will be alright," Ginny whispered to herself. "Everything will be alright."

The next morning, Ginny took a quick shower and erased the last traces of sleep from her eyes. It had been a rough night for her. She hadn't gotten much sleep, but she had forced herself to stop worrying over Harry. One good thing had come from her outburst though. She no longer cared for Harry. At least not in the way she always had. She still loved him; she always would. It was just brotherly love though.

Today, she was going to apologize to him, and then try to get on with her life. As she walked out the door, she shook her hair back and held her head high.

Before she got a chance to approach Harry though, he came to her. Ginny looked down at her feet, her earlier courage now gone. She could feel the heat start creeping up her neck.

"Ginny, we need to talk," Harry said, looking at her kindly. _At least he's not blowing up in my face like I did to him_, Ginny thought. _That's always good._

"I'll see you two later," Harry called to Ron and Hermione. He started for the fat lady's portrait, Ginny following behind.

They walked for a minute or two in silence, heading towards the Great Hall. Ginny was just about to open her mouth and blurt out her apology, but Harry beat her to it.

"I'm sorry, Ginny."

Ginny stared at him a second. "What do you have to be sorry about? I'm the one who needs to be apologizing, not you. I'm the one who yelled at you."

"No, I'm sorry. I had no idea that you felt that way about me. I'm sorry I made you feel that way, and I'm sorry I hurt you. But you see, you're like a sister to me. I don't think I can like you like that. Do you understand?"

Ginny nodded. "So…you're not mad at me?"

"Mad?" Harry looked incredulously at Ginny. "Ginny, you're my best friend's sister. How could I possibly be mad at you?"

As relief washed over her, Ginny smiled wide. Everything was alright. Harry wasn't mad at her and they were still friends. She felt like singing to the world.

"I thought you'd never want to speak to me again," Ginny laughed. Harry chuckled too. "So, we're okay? I mean, we're still friends?"

Harry stopped walking and pulled her into a big hug. The familiar fluttering feeling returned to Ginny's stomach again, though not as strong. She shoved it aside and hugged Harry back.

"Of course we are, Ginny," Harry whispered into her ear. "We always will be."

They continued walking in silence. As they neared the Great Hall, they spotted Malfoy standing in a corner talking with Crabb and Goyle. He smirked openly at them, and then turned back to his bodyguards. All three burst out laughing, and looked back over at them. Ginny frowned. _Watch your back_, he had said. What was he planning on doing to them?

Shaking Malfoy out of her head, she sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Harry, and Ron and Hermione soon joined them. Hermione looked questioningly at her, and Ginny smiled back. Hermione looked relieved and started buttering some toast. Ron was looking at her oddly, and she asked, "What?"

Ron shook his head, and looked over at Harry. "Uh, are you two - I mean, er - are you two alright? You're not fighting or anything, are you?" Ginny almost laughed at the worried look on her brother's face.

"We're fine, Ron." Ginny answered back; Harry nodding in agreement.

"Good," Ron sighed, looking very relieved. "Because we can't have two teammates fighting on the Quidditch team. Say, Harry? When do you think you're going to have tryouts?"

Ginny smiled to herself. Her brother was always thinking about Quidditch. But he was right. It wouldn't be good for the team if their captain, and Seeker, was fighting with one of the Chasers. Ginny had become a Chaser last year. She didn't like to brag, but she thought she was pretty good. Ron, for the most part, had gotten over his fear of playing. If he ignored the crowd, he was an excellent Keeper. This year, they were out of a Chaser and two Beaters. Hopefully, they would find someone who could play well, and their team would be even better than last year.

Sighing, Ginny tossed her books on the floor next to her bed. As she did so, she glanced at her new bracelet. It had been on her mind most of the day. Where had it come from, and whose was it? She had no thoughts of turning it in, since it was beautiful. Ginny didn't have much jewelry, and what she did have, she rarely wore. The stars were so silver that they were almost transparent. Ginny smiled, and headed down for dinner.

She hurried along the corridor. It was late; everybody was already eating. Nobody was in the halls, and Ginny sped up. As she turned a corner, she heard whispering, and she skidded to a stop. Straining her ears for the source of the noise, she turned to her left and right. She couldn't make out what was being said, so she took a few tentative steps ahead.

To her left, and door was open. Approaching it cautiously, she stuck her head in for a quick peak. Draco Malfoy was sitting on a desk, muttering to himself. His back was turned so he didn't notice her. Remaining very quiet, Ginny eavesdropped on him.

"It worked perfectly." Draco sounded gleeful. "They don't suspect a thing…nobody will ever know…"

Ginny frowned to herself, and quickly jogged away from the door. It wouldn't be good for Malfoy to find her there. What in the world was he talking about though? Was he thinking of Albert? Had he been to one to kidnap him and take him underground? Ginny didn't think it too likely. After all, Malfoy had been in their search party. Why would he volunteer to look for him if he was the one to take him? But then again…Albert Harding was a muggle-born. Everybody knew how much Draco Malfoy hated muggle-borns. Them…and blood-traitors.

Ginny walked into the Great Hall and sat down next to Ron. As she filled her plate with food and started to eat, she quickly forgot all about Malfoy. Harry, she noticed, was sitting over at the Ravenclaw table next to Jenny. Shockingly, it didn't bother Ginny too much, for which she was grateful.

Before she knew it, Ginny was laying in her bed that night. Her starry bracelet reflected the moonlight and shimmered. Smiling, Ginny fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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A/N: YAY! I _finally_ updated. Sorry about the long wait, but I didn't have much time to get on the computer and write this. School is getting soooooo hard. I'm not sure if I like that chapter too much. But I have some really good ideas for this story. I already have something planned for around Christmastime (Christmas in the story, not in real life). So I'm really excited about that. And sorry, so far this sounds like it's going to be a Harry/Ginny story, BUT IT'S NOT. Don't worry, it will end up being Draco/Ginny.


	7. Never Mess with a Malfoy

**louey31-** Don't worry. I won't quit on you. I hate it when writers do that, especially if it's a good story. Thanks a whole bunch for the review. It means a lot to me.

**QueenThayet12990-** Yes, you'll find out what worked in this chapter. Just read on. I wanted to read your friend's story, but I couldn't find it. The search wouldn't pull it up. Thanks for always reviewing.

**fanfare-** Well he has to be a jerk in the beginning because that's who he is. If in the first scene he kneels down to Ginny and declares his love for her, well, that's just silly. I'm trying to keep everybody in character.

Ok people, there's one story I'm reading that I want ya'll to go check it out. It's a LOTR one and it's The Messenger by Rochelle Adams. It's 100 percent original, nothing happens that you think will happen, it's really good, and she updates it liketwice a day.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own this. Of course I don't. Who do you think I am, J.K. Rowling?

**Chapter 7: Never Mess with a Malfoy**

"…nobody will ever know…" Draco said to himself. Everybody was at dinner, yet Draco wasn't hungry. His plan for revenge had worked perfectly. The two Weasels had found what they needed to, and his plan was falling into place.

"I can't wait until tomorrow. Just wait until Potions class. Then Ron Weasley will learn to _never_ to mess with a Malfoy.

Draco woke the next morning feeling exuberant. This was the day he would complete his revenge. The littlest Weasel had already gotten hers…now it was the big Weasel's turn. Draco smirked to himself. Sometimes, he even amazed himself with his cleverness. Nobody would have ever thought of the revenge plan he had.

He walked down the corridors silently, pondering his revenge. If anybody did happen to figure it out, he'd probably be in trouble. _Oh well_, Draco thought. He'd get Snape to smooth it out.

That afternoon Draco sat in his last class of the day, Potions. He smirked as he looked over at Potter, Granger, and Weasley. As always, Granger had her head shoved into a book. Potter was setting up his cauldron. With his chin resting on his hand, Weasley was staring off into space. His mouth was open, and a small bit of drool slinked its way out of his mouth. Draco shook his head in disgust, but brightened when he noticed Weasley's hand. Still smiling, Draco turned as Professor Snape strode into the room from his office. This was going to be entertaining.

"Mr. Goyle, collect everybody's essay and come set them on my desk as I set up today's lesson." With a wave of Snape's wand, a blackboard appeared in the air, and Snape started writing on it. Goyle slowly stood up and lumbered around the room, snatching up essays. Draco watched him.

When he got over to the table where the Golden Trio was seated, he paused. Draco couldn't hear what they were saying, but it looked as though Goyle was arguing with them. Then, with a smirk, Goyle moved on, finished collecting the papers, and headed to the front of the class. He set them on Snape's desk as he had been instructed to, and then went to the Professor.

"Professor, Weasley didn't do his homework," Goyle quibbled loudly. The entire class looked up. Ron Weasley's face turned as red as his hair, if not more so.

With a smug look, Snape walked over to their desk. He stared down at Weasley. Oh, this was too good to be true for Draco.

"Why didn't you do the essay I assigned you?" Snape asked in a voice loud enough for the whole room to hear. Many Slytherins were smiling openly and whispering behind their hands.

"Because I was too lazy to." Ron said quickly. A horrified look crossed over his face, and he glanced over at Harry, who looked questioningly back at him. Snape raised his eyebrows.

"Because you were too lazy?" Snape looked incredulous. "Tell me, Mr. Weasley, what was the essay even about?"

"Grimson Tlocklew, who invented the Draught of Death." Weasley recited back while still staring at Snape.

"And why were we studying the Draught of Death, Mr. Weasley?" Snape had an amused look on his face. He appeared to be enjoying Ron's misery just as much as Draco.

"I don't know."

"You don't know, Weasley? Well that's no surprise. However, I do expect you to give me the correct answer. Why were we studying the Draught of Death last week?"

"I don't know. I didn't see any point in it. It's not like we could have tested it on each other, so I don't get why we bothered with it. To use the Draught of Death is illegal; it's almost like an Unforgivable Curse. What's the point of learning it if we can never use it?" Ron said all this very fast.

Snape scowled and leaned down towards Weasley, who shrank back. His expression was just short of absolute terror.

"Because," snarled Snape, "if you know the potion, then you can recognize its symptoms. You will know how to _treat it_ if someone has been_ poisoned with it_." Snape looked disgusted. "Really, Weasley, I knew you unintelligent, but that is pathetic. You should never question a teacher, especially," Snape lowered his voice to a deadly whisper, "me." There was silence for a minute. Ron looked ready to wet himself. Draco would be impressed if he hadn't already.

"Now, about your punishment. Instead of two feet on Tlocklew, you will now write 4 feet, to be handed in to me tomorrow. You will serve a detention with me tonight."

"What for?" asked Ron. Hermione groaned beside him.

"What for? Snape sneered. "For your lack of discipline, for your mouthing off to a teacher, and," Snape smirked, "for being _lazy_."

Ron looked fit to burst. Standing up, he glared at the Professor.

"You're just an egotistical jerk who's biased against us Gryffindors because we're better than Slytherins, and you're jealous of us because we beat you in everything!" Ron shouted at Snape, whose ears grew red. Draco smiled with glee. His plan was going better than he had hoped.

"Make that five feet and fifty points from Gryffindor. And you will serve a detention with me for the rest of the week for your behavior. I suggest you gain control of yourself unless you wish to be expelled."

Ron, still looking extremely angry and upset, sat back down, glaring at the Potions professor. Grinning from ear to ear, Draco glanced back and forth from Ron to Snape. His plan had gone better than he had thought.

The rest of the day passed in a blur for Draco. After Potions had ended, he had gone up to his room. He looked at the spell book he had checked out from the library. It was what had given him the idea for his revenge. Really, it was quite ingenious. Draco flipped through the pages until he found the right one. At the top of the page were the words _Dictum Neg Clin_. Under that were the instructions for the spell, which Draco had learned and then performed. Draco thought back to how his revenge had taken place.

He had snuck into Hogsmede after school one afternoon. He had gone into Madame Mally's Jewelry and purchased a small, silver bracelet and a matching ring. That night, he had put the _Dictum Neg Clin _charm on both pieces of jewelry. He had then placed both the bracelet and the ring in select places in Hogwarts so that each Weasley had found them. He had personally seen Ginny pick up the bracelet; he had been watching her from the shadows. He had just noticed Ron wearing the ring earlier today. _Dictum Neg Clin_, literally, meant "speak no lies". Though Ginny and Ron Weasley didn't know it, as long as they wore their bracelet and ring, they were forced to tell the absolute truth. The spell would last as long as each person wore the charmed object. Draco smirked. With luck, they would never discover why they couldn't lie.

* * *

Ginny woke up very early that morning. She could see through her window that the sun was just starting to rise. Oddly, she didn't feel tired at all. She got up, showered and dressed, and went down into the Gryffindor common room. She was the only there, and the fire was crackling in the grate. She curled up in her favorite armchair and thought about what had happened recently.

She had yelled at Harry because he was going out with another girl. Harry had then apologized and they were still friends. She had overheard Malfoy talking to himself about something working…she had no idea what that was about. Quidditch tryouts were coming up, though Ginny already had a secure position on the team.

Harry wanted the entire team to go down to the Quidditch pitch on Saturday for tryouts. The other Chaser that they still had was Dean Thomas, who had also joined the team last year. The only positions available were the two Beaters and one Chaser. Ginny had heard Parvati and Lavender talking about trying out. Ginny chuckled to herself. Parvati and Lavender were nice enough girls, but they weren't the sporty type. Most likely, their whole plan for playing Quidditch was to get closer to boys. That was what those girls thought of most: boys.

Ginny didn't have much chance to worry over boys except Harry. But her obsession of him had passed. Ginny had only been out on a date twice. The first boy that had asked her out back in her 3rd year had been in Hufflepuff. Ginny had Herbology with them, and she had spoken with him occasionally. He was a nice boy, and when he had asked her out, Ginny had said yes. However, when Ron had found out, he put a firm foot down and told Ginny she had to say no. It was hard for Ginny, but she had done it. The second boy had been Michael Corner in her 4th year. Though Ron had been extremely unhappy about it, he had let her continue going out with him. Most likely Hermione had talked him into it, for which Ginny was forever grateful. It hadn't worked out between them though and their relationship hadn't lasted long, for which Ron was grateful. Since then, no boy had come up to her, and Ginny hadn't bothered herself with worrying about it.

A noise brought her out of her thoughts, and she turned to the boys' dormitory staircase. Harry and Ron appeared on the stairs.

"It's not my fault, Harry!" Ron was almost shouting. He looked very upset about something. "I don't know why I said any of that! Something just came over me and I said that I was too lazy to do that stupid essay. I mean, it_ was_ the truth, but I would never say that, especially to Snape!"

"But why did you say all that stuff to him after he had already punished you?" Harry asked incredulously. The two friends sat down on the couch across from Ginny, still debating their situation. "Insulting Snape is not a good thing, Ron."

"I already told you! I couldn't help myself. I was thinking all that, but I wasn't planning on saying it. It just came out." Ron stared down at his hands, and they were silent for a moment. Ginny cleared her throat, resulting in both boys looking at her.

"Um, guys, what are you talking about?" Ginny asked with a curious expression on her face.

"I blew it…" Ron moaned.

"He didn't do the homework Snape gave us, and then when Snape asked him about it, they started yelling at each other. Now Ron has a detention every night for the rest of the week."

"Oh no," Ron said, looking up. "I'm going to miss Quidditch tryouts."

"Oh relax, Ron. You're already on the team," Ginny rationalized. Ron looked slightly placated, though still upset.

"Yeah, Ron. The only thing you need to worry about is Snape murdering you for what you said," Harry said.

"Thanks, Harry. Thanks a lot. It's really comforting to know that you sympathize with me," Ron replied sarcastically. Harry grinned.

"So, I'm hungry," Ron said. "Let's go get some breakfast, Harry. You coming, Ginny?"

"No," Ginny replied, "I think I'm going to wait up for Hermione. You guys go on. I'll see you later." Shrugging, Ron and Harry left.

Ginny sat, puzzled over what her brother had said. He had been forced to tell Snape exactly what he had thought, which was the truth. It sounded like what Ginny had felt like when she had talked to Harry in the library. Maybe it was something more than just coincidence. Ginny thought once more of Malfoy's warning. Had he done something to them? If anybody would know what to do, it was Hermione. Ginny was going to talk to her about it.

After several minutes, Hermione shuffled down the stairs, a book in her hand. She smiled at Ginny, and walked over to her.

"Ron and Harry already went down to breakfast," Ginny said, motioning towards the portrait hole. Hermione nodded.

"Well, do you want to go down? Classes start in a while, and we do need to eat," Hermione opened her book, and idly flipped through the pages.

"Well, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something first." Ginny glanced up at Hermione, who shut her book and looked at Ginny with concern.

"What is it?" Hermione sat down in an armchair across from her friend.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about," Ginny hurriedly told Hermione, who relaxed. "It's just – well, I think maybe something happened to Ron and me."

"Did you have a fight?"

"No. No, it's nothing like that. I think that maybe we're under some sort of charm." Ginny gave a wry laugh. "It's more like a curse."

Ginny briefly explained what Malfoy had warned them about, and how she had felt when she yelled at Harry. Then she told Hermione what Ron had mentioned to her this morning. Hermione appeared puzzled. When Ginny was done, they both remained silent for several minutes.

Hermione looked at Ginny. "Well, it's possible he could have done something to you. It must be some sort of truth-telling charm. I'll have to do some research about it in the library." Ginny nodded her agreement. "When you're done with classes this afternoon, come meet me in the there," Hermione stood up. "I'll make sure Ron is with us."

* * *

Ginny had a hard time concentrating on classes that afternoon. She kept wondering about what was happening to her. There was definitely something wrong. Every time a teacher asked her a question, she was forced into saying the correct answer if she knew it, or admitting that she didn't know.

Grumbling, Ginny huffed her way up the many flights of stairs until she reached the Divination tower. She scuttled to the back of the room and dropped onto a poof. If Professor Trelawney called on her today, things could get slightly embarrassing. Trelawney always had a habit of foreseeing the worst-case-scenarios for her students. She seemed to relish the thought of danger.

Halfway through class, Ginny relaxed. It appeared that today the Divination teacher was in a mood for talking. At the moment, she was flailing her arms and shouting about how seeing an Albanian mud beetle three nights before a big event in someone's life resulted in a death in the family. Ginny thought the teacher was completely off her rocker, as did her brother. Hopefully, the rest of the class would pass smoothly and quietly. However, Ginny's luck did not hold.

"You! Ginny! Come up here, please." Groaning, Ginny shuffled to the front of the class. Professor Trelawney had that look in her eye. A mad glint always appeared before she "predicted" a student's death.

"When were you born?" Trelawney asked abruptly.

"In April," Ginny replied. What was Trelawney going to predict this time?

"Before or after the full moon?"

Ginny gave her professor a blank stare.

Trelawney shook her head and pushed her glasses back up her nose. "What day in April?"

"The twenty-first," replied Ginny. Trelawney put her hand on her chin and stared down into a cup full of tea. After almost a minute of staring at it, she reached down and grabbed it. She handed the cup to Ginny.

"Drink all of the tea. When you are finished, tell me what you see in the bottom of the cup."

Sighing, Ginny put her mouth up to the cup. She wrinkled her nose; the tea smelled like sweaty socks. In a few gulps, Ginny drank all the tea. Staring into the bottom of the cup, the only thing Ginny saw was a soggy mass of tea leaves.

"Well, what do you see?" asked an excited Trelawney. Her eyes seemed even bigger than normal.

"Um…tea leaves?" Ginny looked questioningly at her teacher. Trelawney rolled her eyes, something Ginny wasn't accustomed to seeing her do.

"Of course there are tea leaves in there! What did you expect, rocks? _What do the leaves look like_?" Trelawney seemed exasperated.

Ginny looked at her tea leaves again. From the angle she was looking at, the leaves appeared nothing more than a dark, lumpy bunch of leaves. She turned the cup the other way to get a better view at it. Still, she saw nothing. After squinting at it for a few seconds, she looked up with raised eyebrows and shook her head at Trelawney.

"I don't see anything in here." Ginny watched her professor. Trelawney sighed with a knowing look on her face. It was almost as if she pitied Ginny.

"Well let me see it then." Ginny handed over the cup. Trelawney studied it shortly, and then a grave look passed over her face. "My dear," Trelawney gasped, looking up at Ginny. "Oh, oh my goodness." The cup trembled in her hands.

"Let me guess, it's the Grim, isn't it." Ginny partly mocked. Half the kids in her class had already "seen" the Grim in their tea cups. Ginny sighed.

"No. No, it's much worse than that," Trelawney said with wide eyes. "Much, _much_ worse than that. It's the Trold." Luna gasped somewhere from behind Ginny. She was the only one who gave any recognition of the name.

Skeptical, Ginny asked, "The what?"

Professor Trelawney looked disbelievingly at her. "The Trold, my dear. The Trold." After receiving nothing but a blank look from Ginny, she asked, "Have you never heard of the Trold?" Ginny shook her head.

"The Trold, my dear, is an omen that appears in the form of a raven, which is what is in your cup. It is a sign of a change."

"Well that doesn't sound too bad," Ginny replied truthfully.

"Normally, no, it doesn't. But the Trold has a history of _violent_ changes. One man, Gregory Rorran - aw, that poor man! He was the first to see the Trold. About a year afterwards he lost his job, his wife left him, and his eleven year old daughter tried to kill him because of it. She didn't succeed, however, because Gregory killed himself first. He blamed all his misfortune on the Trold. It consumed him." The room was deathly silent. Trelawney loved this sort of drama.

"Then, twenty years ago, a young boy- fifteen years old, I think he was -saw a Trold. He said it appeared to him in a dream. Almost immediately afterward, the boy became a Death Eater. He ended up killing his parents. But on one mission he failed, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed him. He killed him personally."

There was a slight lump deep in Ginny's stomach. She didn't know whether to believe these stories or not. If she did, what was going to happen? So far, both of these people had died; apparently, it seemed, because of the Trold.

Trelawney was eyeing Ginny with relish. Ginny caught her professor studying her face, and tossed aside her trepidation. She wouldn't let Sybill Trelawney get the better of her. Actually, Ginny should be thankful. So far, her teacher hadn't asked any personal questions. That was the last thing she needed.

Ginny and Trelawney stared at each other for a minute. Trelawney seemed to be waiting for some sort of reaction out of Ginny. When she didn't get one, she huffed and waved her arm, letting Ginny know she was free to return to her seat. Relieved, she sat down.

"Now, I have a few questions I need you to answer here. It's for an upcoming test, and I need to know something about yourself for it. Each assignment will be different. Once you complete it, you may go." Trelawney started handing out sheets of paper for everybody. _Know something about u_s? Ginny thought incredulously. _I thought she was physic…_

A sheet of paper was passed to Ginny, and she looked at it reluctantly. Surprisingly, there were only two questions.

_1._ _What is your life goal?_

_2. What one thing in your life do you wish you could change?_

Ginny thought. What was her life goal? She shrugged and wrote _To be loved._ That made sense to her. Her family and friends were everything to her. One day she hoped to find a man who would treat her right and to have a family with him. Love would be what held it all together. _And it has to be true_, Ginny thought. _I can't lie right now. _She looked at question two. What did she want to change? Well, there were lots of things that she wished were different. She wished her family wasn't so poor and that she could have clothes that fit her properly, but she wasn't about to write that down for Professor Trelawney to read. Ginny thought for a few minutes before coming up with an answer that she was happy with. _I wish that I didn't fear anything._ If Ginny was never afraid of anything, life would be so much easier. After she walked to the front of the class and handed her completed sheet to Trelawney, she turned and left the room.

* * *

Later, Ginny met Hermione in the library. Ron was with her. As she walked up to them, she heard Hermione talking to Ron, who had an angry look on his face.

"So you mean to tell me that Malfoy cursed us?" Ron looked stunned yet irate at the same time.

"Yes, I think he did," Both Ron and Hermione turned and looked at Ginny as she sat down next to him. "So, did anything happen today with you, Ron? Get into anymore trouble?"

"No…" mumbled Ron. "You?"

"Thankfully not. I thought something might happen in Divination, but it didn't. Where's Harry?" Ginny looked around. Usually Harry and Ron were together. Inseparable. Like brothers. Not that Ron needed anymore brothers…

"He's with Jenny," Hermione said, and Ginny nodded understandingly. Surprisingly she felt no sadness at the thought of Harry with another girl. Only an empty space.

"So," said Hermione, looking excited. "We've already found some books that might help figure out whatever this is. I have some theories, but I need to do some research first. Both of you, grab a book and start reading."

Ginny and Ron both picked up a book. Ginny's was called _The Pros and Cons of Truth-telling_. After reading the entire book, she tossed it onto the table in disgust. It had mentioned nothing about jinxes that force someone to tell only truth.

Hours later, only Hermione had found something.

"It says here," said Hermione, reading aloud from her book, entitled _The Art of Jinxing,_ "that people under this particular jinx are forced to tell the entire truth or nature of something. The only way to tell if the jinx is cast upon somebody is to cast this anti-curse on them." She looked up, eyes bright. "Well, who wants to go first?"

Ron and Ginny looked at each other quizzically. "Go first for what?"

"I'll just put this spell on you, and if you're not under any curses, than you'll glow green. It you are, you'll glow red." Hermione looked eager.

"Well, it's worth a shot," Ron said. "Try me first."

Ron stood, and after a moment, Hermione pointed her wand at Ron and said, "Hurenesca". Briefly, Ron stayed the same. Then his entire body shimmered with a green light. After glowing brighter, the light disappeared.

"Well, nothing happened," Ron said, tossing his hands into the air. A glimmer of light caught Ginny's attention.

"Ron," Ginny puzzled, "what's on your hand?"

Ron looked down at his hand, and then a small flush crept up his neck. He smiled somewhat sheepishly down at his sister.

"I found a ring the other day. I don't know, I thought I might be able to sell it or something."

"Let me see it," Ginny said. Ron took off his new ring and handed it to her. Ginny stared at it. It was a thin silver band, and carved into its exterior were tiny stars. It really was beautiful. Not the sort of ring a boy should wear. But what intrigued Ginny was that it matched her bracelet exactly. Rolling up her sleeves, she unclasped the bracelet from her wrist and held out both objects, looking up at Ron and Hermione.

"I haven't seen that before, Ginny," Hermione pointed towards her bracelet.

"Probably because I just found it, too."

"You found it?" Hermione looked bewildered. Ginny nodded. They stared at each other momentarily and then they both smiled knowingly. Ron looked back and forth between the two.

"What is it?"

"Don't you see, Ron?" Hermione snatched both the bracelet and the ring from Ginny's still outstretched hands. "These pieces of jewelry are what are causing all this. Look at them. They're obviously of the same design. And you both found them. Malfoy probably charmed them and placed them somewhere for you to find." Ron stared at his ring.

"But I just thought it was some dumb ring."

"No," Ginny said, and then paused. "How old are you?"

"What?" Ron looked confused. "You know how old I am, Ginny. Don't be daft…"

"No, Ron," continued Hermione. "Lie. Say something that's not true. You're not wearing the ring. Ginny, you too."

"I'm three years old," Ron said at the same time Ginny said "My hair is black."

All three teenagers smiled at each other.

"Hey!" Ron shouted. "You're right. We can talk again." Ron started saying all sorts of things that weren't true, and Ginny looked happily at the bracelet. It really was a shame something so pretty had to be cursed.

"Hermione, is there a way to take the charm off of this bracelet?"

"I don't know. I don't even know what charm is on there in the first place. If I knew, then maybe. But why do you want it? It's from _Malfoy_."

"I know that," Ginny replied. "But it's just so pretty." She gazed again at the tiny stars that were twinkling brightly. She had never owned anything so delicate and beautiful.

Just then, none other than Draco Malfoy shuffled into the library. He saw the three of them, smirked, and then saw the bracelet and ring they had. Then he smirked even broader. He strode over to them.

"Nice jewelry you got there, Weasley. What, you thinking pawning it off? Going to get some money, are you? You could use it." Malfoy laughed at them, and smirked once more.

"You," Ron growled, stepping towards him. Hermione and Ginny pulled him back. The ring and bracelet now lay on the table. "You cursed us!" Ron spat at Draco. "You got me a weeks worth of detention! I'll kill you," he stretched his hands as far as he could towards Malfoy, but Ginny and Hermione were steadily pulling him back.

"Just drop it, Ron," Hermione said. Ron still fought to get away though. Laughing, Malfoy stepped around Ron and snatched the ring and bracelet off the table.

"I'll just be taking these then, since they're mine. It really was a good idea," Malfoy gazed at the jewelry. "Maybe next time I'll put another curse on them, so that you won't be able to take them off." He sneered. "It sure was fun watching you make a fool of yourself in Potions today." Malfoy started walking off. "Thanks for the entertainment today, Weasel."

With a mock solute, Draco Malfoy sauntered out of the library. As he was walking out, he tossed a book onto Madame Pince's desk. Only after he was out of sight did Hermione and Ginny let go of Ron.

"Why did you do that?" Ron's red face looked menacing. "You should've let me pound him to a pulp." He rubbed his knuckles together.

"Ron," Hermione rolled her eyes. "We are Head Boy and Head Girl. We can do anything we want to him. We'll give him a detention and take some points away. You'll end up being the one getting in trouble if you hit him. You don't need any more trouble."

Ginny only half-listened to Hermione. She was happy she wasn't under any jinxes any longer, but she was going to miss the bracelet. It had been so pretty.

* * *

That night in the common room, Ginny glanced over at Harry. He was sitting next to the fireplace reading a Potions book. Hermione was scribbling something down on parchment. Ron was at his detention with Snape. She sighed.

At dinner that night, all four of them had gone over to the Slytherin table. They had a note from Professor McGonagall for Draco. They had gone to her and explained what he had done. Though something in McGonagall's eyes had shown a bit of amusement, she had given Draco a week's worth of detention since that was how much he had gotten for Ron. He had lost fifty points from Slytherin as well. _Fair is fair_, she had said to them.

Ginny looked out the window. The stars were twinkling brightly, and there was a full moon. At that moment, all seemed right with the world.

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A/N: Ok, I made up the Albanian mud beetle; it doesn't exist. If by some wild chance it does, then don't sue me.

Lauren


	8. Snow

Well my computer is really dumb. I was about 3 pages into this chapter, and I had all these ideas, and then POOF! My computer shuts off and I lose all of it. I was so mad. Then I had to retype it all and the beginning isn't as good as the original. Yes, I know, I haven't been getting into the real plot of this story. But next chapter everythingreally starts to take off. Actually, it has started a little…(hint hint.) Anyway, you'll see. 

**louey31-** Well I don't think I'll have them duke it out revenge style, though I've thought about it. I don't know, maybe I'll put a little something in there. We'll just see how it goes. Thanks soooooo much for reviewing. You're only one of…I think, 2…regular reviewers I have. It means a lot to me.

**love it!-** Thank you for all of the compliments (and the review). I like humor in a story, so whenever I get any inspiration, I'm putting it in. Please keep reviewing!

**QueenThayet12990-** First of all,kudos to youfor readingand reviewingThe Messenger. You're the only one I got to do it. Second, I am reading your friends story, and I am very much enjoying it. It'll probably take me a while to get through though, since there are so many chapters. I'll review it at the end when I'm done. Thanks for the review!

Disclaimer: I've said this a million times (not literally) that I do not own Harry Potter and Co. (literally) but I wish that I did (literally) because then I'd own the world (not literally)

**Chapter 8: Snow**

Time passed swiftly for Ginny. After Albert had been found, things had settled down. Ginny had learned from Madame Pomfrey that Albert's memory had been erased, so he didn't know what had happened to him. Whoever had done it was skillful though. Albert had retained all of his memories except the ones from right before he disappeared. No matter how many times people stopped him in the hallways to question him, his reply was always the same. He didn't know what had happened to him. Other than that, he was his old self again. He'd jumped right back into classes.

Surprisingly, Quidditch tryouts had been easy. Though Parvati and Lavender had tried out, they had not made the team. Their new Chaser was Seamus Finnigan, and their two new beaters were, to everyone's shock, Colin and Dennis Creevey. They had both been so proud when Harry announced them to be on the team.

Ginny walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast that morning. October was coming to a close; it was already the eve of Halloween. The castle was in a bustle to decorate for the upcoming feast. To Hermione's disgust, the house elves had been working overtime. Since they worked at night, nobody ever saw them. However, each morning there would be something new in the castle. Today, two enlarged pumpkins stood like guards next to each door of the Great Hall. They each stood about eight feet tall. The sky had been enchanted to always look like night; there was even a full moon. Bats swooped low over the tables, occasionally knocking a piece of toast out of a student's hands. Vines hung off the edges of all the tables, crept up each wall, and wrapped around every door. Ginny walked over to the Gryffindor table.

Hermione and Ron were sitting across from Harry and, to Ginny's displeasure, Jenny. However, she smiled and sat down next to Hermione.

"Ginny," Harry said, "this is Jenny. Jenny, Ginny." Harry pointed back and forth between the girls. Ginny nodded and smiled at Jenny, then filled her plate with scrambled eggs.

"So, Ginny, Harry tells me you play Quidditch," Jenny said. She seemed nice enough, but because she was with Harry, Ginny didn't like her. She couldn't let that show though.

"Yes, I'm a Chaser."

"I've always wanted to play Quidditch, but I can hardly ride a broom," Jenny laughed.

"You didn't tell me that, Jenny." Harry said. "I could teach you how."

"I'd love that, Harry," Jenny smiled brightly at Harry. Ginny rolled her eyes. Then an image of Harry and Jenny flying together invaded Ginny's mind. As the image showed Harry wrapping his arms around Jenny to hold her on the broom, Ginny lost her appetite.

Shoving away her food, she stood up.

"I'm going to be late for class," Ginny called over her shoulder. Then she strode out of the Great Hall.

* * *

Ginny woke up the next morning excited. It was Saturday, and Halloween. Also, a Hogsmede trip was planned. She took a shower and dressed, quickly leaving the Gryffindor common room. Students were allowed to go to Hogsmede as soon as they wished, and Ginny didn't want to miss anything.

When she got downstairs, there was already a long line waiting; Filch insisted on checking every student to make sure they had permission to go. She saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Jenny just leaving.

"Ron! Hermione!" Ginny called out, waving to them. They seemed to not hear her, and kept walking. Soon, they were out of sight.

Disappointed, Ginny went to the end of the line. Her mood did not improve any when she saw who was directly in front of her. Draco Malfoy, along with Crabbe and Goyle. Honestly, Ginny didn't know why Malfoy tolerated those two. They were nothing more than oversized cabbages. They were just as smart, too.

"Well, well, well," Draco said, turning to face Ginny. "If it isn't the littlest Weasel. What are you up to now? Going to grovel at saintly Potter's feet? Hoping he'll take you back?" As if on cue, Crabbe and Goyle started snickering behind him. Ginny tightened her scarf around her neck and tried to ignore them. "Too bad my ingenuity messed things up for you. Maybe if you weren't such a goody two-shoes all the time, he'd pay a bit more attention to you."

"Goody two-shoes?" Ginny retorted. "What are you talking about? I'm not a goody two-shoes…" Laughing, Draco turned back to his friends, which suited Ginny just fine. She didn't need any Malfoy filth ruining her holiday.

Once she got fast Filch and Malfoy, Ginny started wondering where her friends could be. Hermione had said the day before that she needed to get a book on charms. There were many book stores in Hogsmede, but Ginny didn't think they'd be shopping yet. Most likely, they'd be at Madame Rosmerta's right now. Ginny headed in that direction.

The cold October wind whipped at her ankles, causing her robe to swish back and forth. Looking up, Ginny noticed that the sky was dark. A few snow flakes started to fall from the sky. Hogwarts always got terrible snow storms, but those usually didn't start until late November, a month away. At the moment, the gray clouds in the sky appeared very ominous.

When she pushed open the door of Madame Rosmerta's pub, a blast of warm air greeted Ginny. She removed her scarf and rubbed some warmth back into her pink cheeks. She spotted Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Jenny sitting in a corner, laughing. They all had large mugs of butterbeer, which sounded wonderful to Ginny. She went to the counter, purchased some butterbeer, and joined her friends. They all looked up as she slid in next to Ron.

"Where've you been, Gin," Hermione asked.

"I was right behind all of you at Hogwarts," Ginny said, taking a sip of her butterbeer. "I yelled for you to wait for me, but apparently you didn't hear."

"Jenny's just been telling us of the first time she tried riding a broom," Ron said, focusing on Jenny before looking back at his sister. "It's hilarious!"

"I bet…" Ginny muttered, rolling her eyes as she sipped her warm drink. Luckily, nobody hear her.

"Yes, well, my brother Andy thought it would be hilarious to charm his broomstick and put it where I could find it. He's two years older than me, and my father was always telling me to stay away from the brooms," Jenny smiled, revealing perfectly even, white teeth. "You all know the rest." Everybody burst out laughing.

_I don't,_ Ginny though. _But who cares._ For the next hour, Ginny just sat there, listening to the others' conversation. Once or twice, Ginny said something. Other than that, she silently sat and stared into her empty glass, fingering the rim. When she could take no more of being ignored, she stood up.

"I need to get some new quills and parchment," Ginny called out. Only Hermione acknowledged her. Before her friend could say anything, Ginny turned and walked out of the building.

Ginny did not buy any parchment or quills. Instead, she wandered through the village. The snow was falling heavier now, and a thin blanket coated the ground. At the rate it was snowing now, there would be at least a foot on the ground by nightfall. Ginny knew she was acting selfish about Jenny, but she couldn't help feeling the way she did. She kicked a large rock in frustration, but the only result was a throbbing toe. Ginny slumped down into a bench. As the snow slowly hit the ground, Ginny fell asleep.

* * *

The biting wind and cold woke Ginny. The snow was getting thicker, and night was approaching. Ginny's nose ran, and her cheeks felt like ice. She stood up, wondering where she was. Then she remembered falling asleep. She hurried into the first store she saw to get warm. The sight that greeted her was amusing.

Draco Malfoy was standing in front of a counter with a sour look on his face. Professor Juriac was next to him, talking. Draco had just finished paying for some object and was turning around. When he spotted Ginny, he stopped. His expression, if possible, became even sourer. Professor Juriac stopped talking as well. When he spotted Ginny, he smiled brightly and waved her over. Feeling slightly tired, Ginny did walk up to them.

"Ah, Ginny. I was just going to ask young Malfoy here to deliver a message up to the school. I would do it myself, but I am a bit preoccupied at the moment." Oleaney Juriac looked very happy, which was a drastic contrast to Draco Malfoy, who looked irate. "You see, I ran into one of my old colleagues this afternoon. Since there are no classes tomorrow, he offered to put up with me for the night. We have much catching up to do. I just need to let the Headmaster know, so that nobody will wonder where I am." Ginny nodded. "I would owl it myself, but it may get lost in the storm. So then I bumped into Mr. Malfoy here, and I thought he could do it. But, seeing as you're here too, maybe both of you should deliver it for me. With this storm, it may be a bit more difficult to find the castle."

"I wouldn't mind, Professor," Ginny said, even if she did mind. Working with Malfoy? Yeah, like that was going to work.

"Excellent. Here is my note." He handed a piece of folded parchment to Ginny. Now, I must finish up here," Juriac pointed to the clerk behind the desk, who was wrapping some items and putting them into a bag, "and then I'll be off. I suggest that the two of you get a head start."

Ginny turned to walk out of the shop, and Malfoy brushed past her, knocking into her shoulder. Rolling her eyes, Ginny followed. Once outside, the wind attacked Ginny. It was much fiercer than she remembered it being. It was also darker. She stopped for a moment, thinking of which way Hogwarts was. Malfoy was already walking off in one direction. She hurried to catch up with him.

"Do you know where you're going, Malfoy?" Ginny huffed to keep up with him. His legs were much longer than hers, and he was walking very fast.

"Of course I do, Weasley. I'm a Malfoy; I know everything." Draco seemed in a hurry to get back to the castle. Ginny followed behind him silently. Her throat was starting to hurt. _Just great,_ she thought. _Just what you need, to be sick. But you deserve it. After all, you_ did _fall asleep in the snow._

Ginny kept her eyes on the ground while they walked. The snow was much thicker, and she needed to see where she was walking. She looked up when the light from the streets disappeared.

"Malfoy, where are you going?" Ginny looked around her. Nothing seemed familiar. Then again, she had never been in Hogsmede at night. "Isn't Hogwarts the other way?"

"Oh relax, Weasley. I know a shortcut," Malfoy replied without slowing down. He stepped into some woods and continued walking. By this time, Ginny had no idea where they were. She paused at the edge of the woods, and Malfoy's dark frame got thinner and thinner as trees obscured her vision of him.

"Malfoy, wait!" She called to him. She started running to catch up, and briefly saw his back before she tripped and fell face forward. Her head hit something hard, probably a rock. Lights exploded in front of her, and she tasted something coppery in her mouth. She lay on the ground, dazed. Which way was up? Where had Malfoy gone? Why was she in a forest? Then strong arms pulled her up from the ground, and started pushing her forward.

"Come on. We can't slow down," Ginny recognized Draco's voice, scowling as it always was. "It's snowing harder. If we don't hurry up, we're going to be stuck out here all night." Ginny nodded slowly, her head pounding, and tried to walk faster. Malfoy was jogging through the snow in front of her, lifting his feet high in the air each time he took a step. The sight was amusing to Ginny, and she would've laughed if her teeth hadn't been chattering so much.

They continued on for a while, both silently running as best as they could through the snow. The trees helped to block the wind, but they also blocked out what moonlight they had. Ginny heard Draco mutter "Lumos" in front of her, and a bright light shone on what path they had made. Ginny reached for her own wand, wondering why she hadn't done so earlier. When she reached into her cloak, however, she couldn't find it. Stopping, she frantically dug through all her pockets, but it was nowhere to be found. She heard Malfoy ahead of her yell over his shoulder, "Weasley! Hurry up!" so Ginny resumed their tiring pace.

"Wait! Malfoy!" Ginny shouted, and he turned to walk back to her.

"What?" asked Draco.

"My wand f-fell back there," she said, folding her arms in an effort to keep warmer. Draco looked past Ginny, back into the snow, and sighed.

"Accio Ginny's wand," he said. They both waited and a few seconds later, Ginny's wand flew into Draco's hand. He handed it to her and then, without another word, continued on. Ginny muttered a quick thank you under her breath, not sure if she wanted Draco to hear her or not. He was already mad enough at her for causing them to go so slowly. But to Ginny, they weren't going slowly; her side ached with the effort it was taking to keep up with Draco.

She thought of the feast waiting for her at Hogwarts. More than likely, it had already started. The thought of all that food made her stomach rumble extraordinarily loudly. She hadn't had breakfast that morning since she had been so eager to get to Hogsmede, and she had slept through lunch. The only thing she had had that day was her butterbeer, and that was a long time ago.

After several more minutes, the two teenagers came to a small clearing. The full moon shone down brightly, illuminating the snow falling furiously to the ground. They both stopped. Ginny dropped to her knees in the snow, panting. Draco was standing in the middle of the clearing, turning in circles and looking in each direction. His hands were on his forehead, pushing his hair back, and his eyebrows were knitted in frustration and confusion. Ginny looked up slowly, the snow sticking ever more in her hair. Just as she was about to get up, a violent cough attacked Ginny. Her body convulsed, and her throat burned as the coughing subsided.

Ginny looked towards Malfoy, who had not noticed her. It appeared he was trying to decipher which way to go.

"Where are we, Malfoy?" Ginny shouted over the roaring wind. Her hood had come off and her hair was whipping behind her.

"This was supposed to be a short cut!" he yelled back.

"You don't know where we are?" Ginny asked. Malfoy didn't reply, he merely continued examining the area. Anger surged through Ginny. She wasn't supposed to be here. She was supposed to be enjoying the Halloween feast right now.

"We're lost?" she shrieked as she stood up and marched towards Malfoy. "You got us lost? We're lost?" When Ginny reached Draco she quit yelling and started hitting him on the chest. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't decided on a taking a short cut, we'd be back at the castle by –"

Draco grabbed her wrists, holding them in an iron-like vice. He glared down at her fiercely, and pulled her closer to him. Ginny was forced to lean her head back to see him.

"Never," Draco whispered threateningly, "do that again." Ginny could feel his breath on her face. She closed her mouth. Draco let go of her hands and threw her backwards, causing Ginny to fall in the snow. "Now if you'll leave me be, I can try to get us out of here. Unless, of course, you'd like to stay…?" Malfoy mockingly asked her, his hands held up in question.

Ginny opened her mouth and was just about to retort when the coughing once again assaulted her body. She heaved on the ground, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop.

"Hey," Malfoy said, tapping his foot into her side. "Hey, stop it."

_If I could stop, don't you think I'd have done it by now?_ Ginny thought angrily. Her throat felt as if a knife was being shoved down it. As well as pain in her throat, Ginny's chest hurt; she couldn't breathe right. The coughing eased and she took several quick, deep breaths. She continued breathing heavily, feeling tired. Looking up, she saw Draco looking down at her warily. Then he turned away, once again inspecting their surroundings.

Ginny stood up; the snow was soaking her clothes. Her legs were numb from cold and she was shaking badly. Ginny tried to see more clearly where they were, but the snow obscured her vision too much; the wind continued howling.

"I think it's this way," Draco shouted, waving to her as he started walking once more into the woods. Ginny stumbled towards him through the thick snow. It was falling so fast; it was slowly approaching her knees. Ginny couldn't remember the last time Hogwarts had seen a storm this bad. Since Draco's legs were longer than hers, and it was easier for him to walk in the snow, but Ginny was falling behind. She picked up her pace, determined not to show how weak she was. However, as the snow grew in ferocity, their progress slowed until both were walking side by side.

Close to an hour later, just as Ginny was wondering how much farther she could go, the trees started thinning. With the thinning of the trees, though, came thicker snow. Ginny, with a sigh of relief, recognized a road. It was the path the horse-less carriages always took to get to the school. Even in the distance, Hogwarts castle was visible, its many lights shining like beacons.

The two freezing students raced towards the castle, spurred on by the thought of warmth. They soon reached the doors and Draco wrenched them open. Both collapsed onto the floor, shaking in the cold. Ginny's eyes moved about slowly; nobody was around. They were all at the feast. Ginny was shaking so badly that she could hardly stand, but stand she did. She dazedly shut the doors, and the wind and snow ceased entering the castle. Draco was now resting against the wall, head leaning back and eyes closed. Ginny saw that his always-perfect hair was finally messed up.

Then, as if somebody had turned up the volume, the noise from the Great Hall reached Ginny's ears. She heard laughter, talking, people having a wonderful time. She peered through the open doors and saw Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Jenny sitting at the Gryffindor table. They were all eating their dinner, talking, and apparently enjoying themselves. Only Hermione looked a little worried. It seemed as if nobody except her knew that Ginny wasn't with them.

Ginny briefly debated upon going in there and slapping Ron or Harry. Maybe both. _No, _she decided. _Let them worry about me._ She turned around. After what she had just been through, she wasn't hungry anyway. The only thing she felt like was sleeping forever; her whole body ached with weariness.

Draco was standing. He looked once at Ginny, and then, without a word, headed down a hallway. Ginny assumed he was going to the Slytherin common room. She went to her own room.

Once she got upstairs, she collapsed onto her bed. Her cheeks and hands still felt like ice. Instead of succumbing to sleep, Ginny went into her bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror, and laughed softly. She looked a fright. Her hair was in a giant knot, and her cheeks were bright red. On the right side of her face, and large bruise was forming; she assumed it was from when she had fallen. Turning her face to the side, she touched it. _Funny,_ she thought. _It doesn't even hurt…it should though._ Probably because her face was too numb to feel anything at the moment.

Ginny sat on her bed, silently cursing Professor Juriac. The man was nice enough, but who would send two students into a storm like that? Shaking her head, Ginny stood up to change for bed. As she stood, she started coughing again. She sounded like a dog barking every time she coughed and her chest and throat hurt even worse. She held onto the bed for support; the feeling was returning to her legs, yet they seemed wobbly.

Then Ginny straightened, but the room begun to whirl around her. She stepped backwards, waving her arms in front of her for balance. Everything blurred together as a roaring filled her ears. Ginny felt as if her head were devoid of any substance, and she became dizzy. Stumbling forward as the ground rushed up to meet her, Ginny fell into darkness.

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**A/N:** Everybody who reviews this gets a free smile!

Lauren


	9. The Trouble Starts

WOW! I got so many more reviews for that chapter! THANK YOU! And it fits. For chapter 8, I got 8 reviews, lol. Anyway, I think (or I hope) that you guys will like this story. Let me know what you think! Oh, and everybody gets free smiles, and cookies too, for reviewing. Cookies and smiles all around!

**QueenThayet12990** – Yeah, I liked how Draco was concerned too. You're right, it did keep him in character, and that's something I really want to do. But he had to be a little concerned too. He can't be completely heartless. And yes, I decided to give cookies too.

**louey31** – Yeah, I almost wanted him to kiss her, or vice-versa. I just didn't think the time or situation was right; it was too soon. But don't worry, it'll happen in the future. I think this chapter will answer some of the questions you were wondering.

**IMustNotChaseTheBoys** – I completely agree. I don't really like Jenny that much either. I know the whole thing with everybody ignoring was a bit out of character, but it gets better. You'll see…

**Lacey** – Thank you. And thank you so much for reviewing. Hope you like this chapter!

**kz** – Thank you! Yeah, I don't like the stories where they start kissing and making out in the first chapter, right after they get done cursing each other. It's just not right.

**Torri-Chiobie** – Wow, you were right. I became patient for reviews, and guess what? I got more reviews! Lol, you must be physic or something. Thank you for reviewing!

**dragonlayer** – Well, thank you for giving into your temptation and reviewing; it means a lot to me. Please keep reviewing!

**CoolMilena** – I'm glad you like it! Please please please keep reading and reviewing.

Disclaimer – Well I'm flattered that you would consider suing me over this, but please don't.

**Chapter 9: The Trouble Starts**

Draco woke up the next morning with his throat feeling like sandpaper. When he tried to breathe, his chest constricted, making the task tedious. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and took several shallow breaths.

Last night had been horrible. The last thing on Draco's mind before he fell asleep was Oleaney Juriac. In Draco's opinion, the man was crazy. Who would let two students go wandering around in a snow storm like that? And the storm itself was something to wonder about. It never snowed that early at Hogwarts.

Peering out his window, Draco still saw a few flakes falling from the very dark sky. The ground was invisible, and it looked like a winter wonderland. Draco thought about Ginny. She looked and sounded terrible by the time they had gotten back to the castle. In the woods, when she had been coughing her lungs out, Draco had actually been slightly worried, which worried him even more. Draco never worried over anybody but himself. And why had he helped her up when she fell? _Because,_ Draco told himself, _we never would've gotten out of there alive if we slowed down. That, and her brothers would've murdered me if I left her._ Draco could handle Ron Weasley, he could even take on him plus the twins, but all six of them?

Draco got out of bed and got dressed. His throat still hurt, but it was nothing a little food wouldn't fix. Draco never got sick; he couldn't remember ever getting sick. Why should he start now?

When he got down to the Great Hall for breakfast, he looked over at the Gryffindor table. Ginny wasn't there, and neither were her brother or friends. Odd, thought Draco. At least one of them is always down here. He sat down next to Crabbe and Goyle who seemed to be eating everything in sight.

"Erwahyuastigh,haco?" Goyle asked through a mouthful of porridge. Some of it slipped out of his mouth and plopped onto the table. Draco looked on in disgust.

"What?" he drawled. It hurt immensely to talk.

"I said, where were you last night, Draco?" Goyle repeated, shoving more porridge into his mouth.

"Out," Draco said. He would never tell anybody that he had gotten lost; it was a very un-Malfoyish thing to do. The fact that he had gotten lost troubled Draco because he always took that path coming from Hogsmede; it was much faster. True, he had never taken it at night, or in a snowstorm, but that was no excuse to get lost. He just hoped the little Weasel would keep her mouth shut about it.

After he was done eating, Draco wondered around the castle. He had a little bit of homework left to do, but he really didn't feel like doing it. He was just turning a corner when somebody zoomed by him, knocking him backwards. He stood up, ready to say something nasty to whoever it was, and saw that Harry Potter was running down the corridor at top speed. He shouted, "Watch where you're going, scarhead!" and kept on walking. He had just gotten around the corner when once more somebody hit him and sent him sprawling. Looking up from the ground angrily, he saw Madame Pomfrey hurrying to catch up with Harry. _What is that all about?_ Draco wondered. He stood up, brushed himself off, and continued walking.

* * *

Draco was so bored later that day that he ended up finishing his homework. It was an essay professor Sprout had assigned him, and it had been extremely easy. It was still early in the afternoon, and Draco was considering going out flying. The sun had come out a little, and it was a bit warmer.

He was walking past the Hospital Wing and stopped when he heard a familiar voice.

"I don't know, I just found her lying there," Hermione Granger was saying. He stepped unnoticed into the room. On a bed, looking extremely pale and unconscious, was Ginny Weasley. Her thick red hair cradled her head, and her eyes were shut tight. She was sweating, and even being unconscious, she was shaking. There was a purple and black bruise swelling on Ginny's right cheek, and it was about the size of Draco's fist. Ron and Harry were standing on either side of her bed.

"Well do you know what she was doing all of yesterday then?" Pomfrey was bustling all about the room, looking in various books and checking different potion bottles. "What she ate, where she went, anything?"

"Well," Ron said, still staring at his sister, "we saw her early in the day. Then she left, said something about buying quills, I think."

"We thought she came back to Hogwarts, but we never saw her," Harry said. "Then the feast started, and we went down to eat."

"Yes, and then this morning I went into her room to see if she was still sleeping, and I found her lying on the floor," Hermione was biting her fingernails. "She was shaking so much, and I don't know what's wrong with her."

"You mean to tell me," Pomfrey slowly put down the bottle she had been looking at, and stared at Hermione, Ron, and Harry, "that you did not see her at all since yesterday morning, and you weren't the least bit worried? That you were so busy you couldn't find your own sister?" Pomfrey was looking incredulously at Ron, who was squirming. He looked up at Pomfrey, but when he met her gaze, he looked down at his Ginny. Madame Pomfrey clucked her teeth and shook her head.

Draco smirked softly. Everybody seemed to sense Draco, or maybe he made too much noise, because everyone in the room turned to look at him. Ron and Harry started giving him dirty looks, which he heartily returned.

"She's sick, can't you tell?" Draco sneered, pushing off of the wall he had been resting against and striding over to stand at the foot of Ginny's bed.

"Of course we can tell, anybody could!" Ron snarled. "What are you doing here?"

Draco leaned over Ginny and started to reach into the pocket of her robe. Ron's hands gripped Draco's wrist and wrenched them away.

"Relax, Weasel, I'm not doing anything," Draco said. After a very long glare between the two, Ron stiffly released his hands, watching Draco closely. Draco reached into Ginny's pocket and pulled out the note Professor Juriac had given them the night before. He held it up in the air between two fingers, and Ron snatched it. He opened it and started reading it. When he was done, he passed it to Harry, and looked confusedly at Draco.

"What's that supposed to mean? It's not addressed to Ginny."

"Yes, you're very observant, aren't you, Weasley?" Draco sneered. "No, it's addressed to Professor Dumbledore, from Professor Juriac. He ran into both me and her at the same time last night, and he asked us to deliver this for him. Said he'd be staying the night in Hogsmede and didn't want anybody to worry about him." Everybody was looking at Draco, so he continued talking. "We were coming a different way back to Hogwarts and the snow kept getting worse and worse. It was hard to see where we were going, and it took a long time to get back." Draco paused for a moment, remembering Ginny's coughing bout in the woods. "She kept coughing while we were out there. Then we got back, and everybody was at the feast. We both went our separate ways, and that's all I know."

The room was silent; everybody was staring at Draco. Then Pomfrey pulled another book off the shelf and started flipping through it, murmuring to herself about professors with no concern for students' safety. Ron looked once back at Ginny, and then pointed accusingly at Draco.

"This is all you fault, Malfoy!" He shouted. "And what's that bruise doing on her? What did you do to her?" Ron started over towards him, but Harry held him back. Ron didn't put up much of a fight.

"She fell," Draco said simply. "Must've hit her head when she did. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have places I'd much rather be right now." Draco turned and was starting to walk out the door when Madame Pomfrey stopped him.

"Hold it," she ordered, slamming her book shut. "Mr. Malfoy, about how long would you say the both of you were out in that storm?"

"I don't know, two hours, maybe. I wasn't exactly keeping time."

"There is no need to be rude, I am merely doing my job," Pomfrey said, her head held high. "She has pneumonia," she said, turning to address the whole room. "You may have it too, Mr. Malfoy, since you were out there just as long as Ginny. How have you felt this morning? Does your throat hurt, have you had any trouble breathing?"

"I'm fine," Draco said coldly. Then he turned and, for the second time, left Ginny Weasley in the hospital wing.

* * *

That night as Draco was walking towards the Slytherin common room from dinner, he found that his feet carried him to the Hospital Wing. He poked his head in, and saw Ginny still lying on her bed. Nobody else was in the room, so he entered and made his way to her side.

Looking down at her, Draco noticed that this time she seemed a bit more peaceful. She was now wearing a hospital gown, and her vibrant red hair stood out against the white sheets. She seemed to be sleeping. The bruise was gone from her face. No doubt Pomfrey had healed it already. Ginny stirred slightly, and turned towards Draco. He stepped back when he heard a noise from behind him.

"Not disturbing my patient, are you Mr. Malfoy?" Madame Pomfrey whispered, moving to stand next to Draco.

"No," Draco said softly.

"Are you feeling sick at all?"

"No," Draco repeated.

"Oh." They were silent for a moment, both gazing at Ginny. "Well, then, is there anything in particular you came here for?"

"No," Draco said once again. In truth, he did not know why he had come. He wasn't worried about Ginny. No, never that. Maybe he felt a little guilty. _I did get us lost, after all, _Draco thought. _But it's not my fault she went and got sick. She didn't have to do that._

Draco looked over at Madame Pomfrey, who was studying him. The corners of her mouth twitched, and she looked back at Ginny.

"She'll be alright, you know; she'll probably wake up tomorrow. In a few days, she'll be back to her-"

"_I _don't care," Malfoy said harshly. "Why would I care?" He quickly left the room, leaving Pomfrey shaking her head slightly in the moonlight.

Draco hurried through the hallways. Did he care? Was he worried about someone other than himself for the first time in his life? Draco cursed himself for letting any feelings show. That was the number one rule to being a Malfoy: Never reveal your true emotions. That led to pain. Pain led to death.

* * *

As Draco left his last class of the day on Monday, he sighed with relief. He had been given so much homework in all of his subjects that he doubted he'd ever get it all done. He casually walked by the Hospital Wing, and looked in as he walked by. He briefly saw Ginny sitting up in bed, and Hermione was sitting next to her in a chair, reading a book. That was all Draco saw before he was past the open door. He smiled slightly to himself, and kept walking.

* * *

The next morning Draco was eating breakfast in the Great Hall. To his surprise, he saw Ginny sitting over at the Gryffindor table in between Ron and Harry. She was talking quietly with Ron and Harry while Hermione read a book. Then Dumbledore stood up.

"Students, I have some grave news," Dumbledore said in a strong voice. Whispers broke out among the students even before the announcement was made. "I'm sure you all will remember when our own Albert Harding disappeared last month. Well, I think that situation is upon us again. Trent Johnson, a 1st Gryffindor boy, has disappeared." Now the hall broke into loud voices. It seemed everybody had forgotten about Dumbledore.

"Quiet!" rumbled Dumbledore, and the hall immediately fell into silence. "Now, we will not be having the students participate in searches this time, because we cannot disturb you from your studies. The teachers will be searching the castle, and I urge all students to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. Since Mr. Harding has lost the memory of what happened to him," all eyes turned to Albert, who shrank down into his seat, "we do not have any clues. We do not know if whoever took Mr. Harding is the same person to take Mr. Johnson," Professor Dumbledore glanced at Professor McGonagall, who returned his look. Then he turned back to face his students. "Classes will be starting soon, and I am sure you have places to be. I only ask that you remain calm in this situation, and I'm sure that we will find him."

When Dumbledore sat down, only a few people got up and left the Great Hall. Many stayed behind, talking loudly to their friends. Draco remained silent. Another student was missing? It didn't seem right; this sort of thing didn't happen at Hogwarts. Draco stood up, looked once at the Gryffindor table, and walked out of the room.

* * *

That day Draco found it hard to concentrate in class. All through his lessons people would be passing notes back and forth and whispering behind the teachers' backs. The professors were constantly handing out detentions and taking away house points. Once, Draco passed Ginny in the hallways. However, a sea of first years separated them and he got no more than a glimpse of her hair before she disappeared. There was a foreign feeling in Draco's stomach, one he wasn't accustomed to. He couldn't figure it out. Was it concern? Relief? Guilt? True, Draco was happy that Ginny was alright, but only because he might've gotten in trouble if she had died. At least that's what Draco told himself. Part of him seemed to have a sort of connection to her. He had changed after being lost in that storm. He seemed to appreciate the finer things more, like food, his bed, warmth, school. He was still an egotistical jerk, but maybe to a lesser degree. Ginny had been lost with him, and part of him felt they had, for maybe the first and only time, something in common.

A few days passed with no word on the missing boy. However, trouble was stirring in Draco's life. He had gotten a note from his father.

_Draco,_

_I have exciting news. The Dark Lord will be spending Christmas with us. He wishes to meet you in person, and to see how your training is coming along. You will be coming home for Christmas and I expect you to be prepared. You will not embarrass me or put a stain on the Malfoy name. If you do, your punishment will be most unpleasant. _

_- Lucius_

Draco crumpled the note into a ball._ How cheerful, _he thought. He threw the letter into the fire. He was sitting in the Slytherin common room, and tonight, the darkness seemed foreboding. He had never met Voldemort, and he was filled with dread at the upcoming meeting. What would he do? He knew he'd never become a servant for that man, never in his life. But would he still be that strong and determined when the time came? Draco was afraid.

This wasn't the only disturbing thing in Draco's world at the moment. There had been rumors spreading throughout the school over the past few days. _It's Malfoy, he's the one doing this._ Those words reverberated in Draco's mind. _They think I'm the one taking these students,_ he thought numbly.

More than once that day, groups of two or three students would come up to Draco and say something nasty to him, or yell at him to give Trent back. They called him a Death Eater. Then they would run away before Draco could curse them. He was not a Death Eater, and he never would be. _They know nothing about me,_ Draco thought furiously, staring into the fire. _They think they do, but they don't know the first damn thing about me._

It got worse.

The next morning as Draco walked into the Great Hall, it became silent. All the students turned to stare at him. Most of the Gryffindors were openly glaring at him, and some of the Ravenclaws as well. Others just stared blankly. He glared back.

Sitting down at the Slytherin table, he glared at each and every student to make eye contact with him. Only his fellow Slytherins seemed normal. Of course, if they thought that Draco _was _the one kidnapping these kids, they would never say so. They'd be too afraid. And some, the ones that had Death Eater families, thought it was brilliant. This fact strongly supported the belief that Draco was the culprit: both Albert Harding and Trent Johnson were Muggle born.

_That's…just...great,_ Draco thought as he furiously spread butter on his roll. He did it too hard, however, because the roll broke into tiny crumbs, and he threw it onto the table in anger. _Just my luck, that whoever decided to kidnap someone, decided to take Mudbloods. Yep, that just my luck…_

That afternoon, as Draco was walking through the halls, he was pushed from behind and fell forward. His face smashed into the ground, and his nose gave a sickening crack. As he as standing up, he heard someone shout, "Death Eater!" He looked around quickly as blood poured out of his nose, but he couldn't see whoever had shoved him. People moved around him, as if they didn't want to touch him. He glared at everybody, and then started walking towards the Hospital Wing.

When he got there, Ginny was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, kicking her feet back and forth, and Madame Pomfrey was in her office. She looked at him curiously, and then watched Pomfrey as she came out, leading a 2nd year who had shockingly blue hair.

"Now, you just take that medicine I gave you, and I'm sure your hair will be back to normal in no time," Pomfrey showed the boy out of the room, and turned around, shaking her head. She didn't seem to see Draco, and turned to Ginny.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, I'm glad to see you remembered out appointment. How are you feeling? Are you still getting dizzy?" Madame Pomfrey was pulling a bottle off of her shelf, and was pouring some into a cup.

"Um, I think he needs you a bit more than I do at the moment," Ginny pointed towards Draco, and Madame Pomfrey turned.

"Oh my goodness, what did you do to yourself?" Draco smiled inwardly. He was sure his injury appeared much worse than it actually was because of the blood.

Ignoring her question, Draco leaned forward to keep the blood from landing on his robes.

"Here, let me have a look," Madame Pomfrey came towards Draco and tilted his head back, examining his nose. "I think your nose is broken."

"No, really?" Draco asked sarcastically. "I couldn't tell."

Madame Pomfrey swatted the back of Draco's head. "Ow," Draco muttered as he eyed Pomfrey grabbing another bottle from her cabinet. Then she came back over to him. With a wave of her wand, all the blood on Draco disappeared.

"Now, this may sting a little. Lean your head back," Draco did as he was told. A cold liquid trickled onto his nose, and it stung badly.

"Geez," Draco hissed, pulling back. "Are you trying to kill me? What is that stuff?"

Ginny giggled on the bed, and Draco glared at her. "It's a bone strengthening potion, so that hopefully, this won't happen again," Madame Pomfrey said irritated. Then she waved her wand at him again, and the pain was gone. Draco wrinkled his nose and then rubbed it. It felt back to normal.

"How did you break your nose?" Madame Pomfrey asked casually.

Draco thought for a moment. "I fell," he said simply. Madame Pomfrey nodded her head knowingly, and turned back to Ginny, apparently finished with Draco.

"Now, Ginny, how are you feeling?" Ginny glanced once at Draco, and then at the healer.

"I'm alright. I've been taking that potion you gave me, and since then, the dizziness has stopped."

"Well, that's wonderful. I just need you to take this one other potion, and then you'll be free to go…"

Draco left the Hospital Wing. His nose felt much better. However, everybody glaring at him was starting to get on his nerves. They all believed him to be a Death Eater, to be just like his father. He wanted to scream out loud, yell at everybody, and curse anyone who looked at him accusingly. The knowledge that he was being branded as evil, and he could do nothing about it, was infuriating. But what could he do?

Draco walked into the library and made his way to a corner. He just needed to be alone so he could think in peace. There had to be some way to prove his innocence. He could think of only two ways: 1. Hope that Trent Johnson was found with his memory intact, and he could vouch for him, or 2. Find whoever the real kidnapper was. The former seemed unlikely to happen. Albert Harding had no recollection of what had happened to him; there would be little chance of Trent Johnson being returned in better condition. The latter, however, would be just as tough. The logical place to start looking would be where they had found the Harding kid, but where would he go from there? He had no clue as to who the culprit was. Draco sighed in frustration.

His situation seemed hopeless.

* * *

The next morning, as Draco was trying to eat breakfast, his owl swooped down towards him, carrying a letter. Draco was fully prepared for another letter from his father, but that was not what it was.

_Meet me in the Astrology tower tonight at midnight. Come alone._

Draco furrowed his brow, puzzled. He turned the note over, but there was no name anywhere. He looked around the Great Hall, trying to find someone who was watching him. He saw nobody. _Should I go?_ Draco asked himself. It could just be someone wanting to hurt him without any witnesses. _I'm a Malfoy, I've handled worse. If I can see him, I can protect myself just fine._

That night, at ten minutes before midnight, Draco started up towards the tower. He held his wand in front of him, ready for anything.

When he reached the Astrology tower, the door was partially open. He kicked it, and it flew in. He cautiously walked forward. The light was poor; there was no moonlight that night. However, in the far corner of the room, a candle was lit, casting shadows everywhere. He saw somebody sitting at the table next to the candle, waiting for him.

"There won't be any need for your wand," a calm voice said.

"You," whispered Draco.

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A/N: Yes, yes, I know, evil cliff hanger. But don't worry, I'm already working on the next chapter, so hopefully you won't have to wait long to find out what's going to happen. I ended up updating this a lot sooner than I had thought I would, but I got so many reviews, and I just couldn't resist giving ya'll another chapter. Please read and review!

Lauren


	10. Partners

Sorry the review responses are short, but I really wanted to post this tonight. And I didn't proof read very well, because I'm super tired.

**Torri-Chiobie**- Haha, yep. You might be physic. Thanks for reviewing.

**IMustNotChaseTheBoys**- Well you'll just have to read to find out if you were right or not…

**louey31**- Whew! Glad Draco seems believable to you, because he doesn't to me. I'm trying though.

**dragonlayer-** Yes, please keep reviewing. I can't get enough of them.

**ILOVDRACO**- Well you're about to find out…

**QueenThayet12990**- Sorry if Draco is OOC, I'm trying to keep him in character. And I really don't want it to go fast, but it'll go how it ends up doing. (sorry, that doesn't really make sense.)

Disclaimer- Don't own.

**Chapter10: Partners**

Ginny's fortunes were improving.

Hermione had found her lying on the floor of her room that night. She had woken up in the Hospital Wing. Her brother, Harry, and Hermione had all been extremely apologetic towards her. They kept trying to make it up to her, for ignoring her as of late. And since Madame Pomfrey had healed her, she felt back to normal. Her throat still felt somewhat sore, but that was all. Her bruise had been gone before she woke up.

Ginny smiled. Everybody had been paying extra attention to her lately. And even better, Harry and Jenny had had a fight, which resulted in Jenny breaking up with Harry. Though Ginny felt terrible for Harry, she couldn't help remaining hopeful. To both her despair and joy, her feelings for Harry had returned somewhat. She had a plan that would ensure Harry noticing her. He would be proud of her.

She would find Trent Johnson…and the one who had taken him. She already knew who it was too: Draco Malfoy. Everybody seemed to know it was him. She just needed a way to prove it. Ginny thought for a while. Then an idea popped into her mind, and she smiled. It was perfect.

She knew Malfoy hated that people knew it was him; she saw it in his eyes when he had come into the Hospital Wing. She would team up with him in an effort to "solve the mystery". She would catch him at his own game. Then Harry would notice her in a different way. At least, that's what she hoped.

Ginny sent a letter to Draco that day. It told him to meet her in the Astrology tower. Ginny just hoped that he'd listen to the letter, since she hadn't signed it. If he knew he was going at midnight to meet a Weasley, there was no way he'd do it. And there was no way for Ginny to tell if he'd agree, anyway. _He'll agree,_ Ginny reassured herself. _He's desperate. He'll do anything to get these rumors to stop. _

That night, Ginny went up to the tower early. She wanted to be there when Draco showed up, and she didn't know if he'd come early or not. There was little natural light that night, so Ginny lit a candle and sat down in the corner.

The time leaked by slowly. Right before midnight, she heard a noise. The door to the room flew in, and Ginny saw the tip of a wand enter the room. She stifled a giggle. Then Draco Malfoy was visible, cautiously looking around.

"There won't be any need for your wand," Ginny said calmly.

"You," Draco whispered. "What are you doing here?" he looked disbelieving.

"I sent the letter, didn't I?" Ginny asked. "I have a proposition for you. Sit down," she motioned towards a chair that was sitting on the opposite side of her desk. Looking warily at her, Draco sat. He kept his wand out.

"You have a proposition…for me?" Draco looked as if Voldemort had put on a pink dress and started dancing around the room.

"Yes, a proposition. I know that you've heard the rumors going around school…the ones that say you -"

"I know what they say," Draco snarled. "You think I don't know what people are saying I did? What they say I am?"

Ginny shifted in her seat and calmly looked at Draco. He was even more irritated by it that she had thought.

"Well," she continued, "what would you say if I could make them stop? Or, I should say, if _we_ could make them stop."

"And just how would we do that?" Draco smirked at her. "Get your saintly Potter to stand up for me? Go crying to mummy and daddy? Hmmm….?"

"No. We work together. We find out who it is that took Johnson, and we prove that it isn't you. I'm sure that whoever took him also took Albert Harding, and they were just playing it cool for a while. Halloween was the perfect time to take someone. Everybody was so preoccupied with the feast and everything that they tended to ignore their friends…" Ginny trailed off, staring into the candle. _Just like they forgot me, then,_ she thought. _That could've been me…I could've been taken and I bet nobody would've even noticed._ She cleared her throat and looked up. Draco was intently studying her face. His gaze wandered all over as if to detect any sort of deception in Ginny. She squirmed uncomfortably.

Draco smirked and leaned back in his seat. His eyes never left Ginny. "And why would you do this?" Draco asked quietly. "Incase you forgot, we hate each other's guts."

"Well- "Ginny stuttered. She hadn't thought of this question. What was she going to say? Certainly not the truth. "I, uh- " She glanced up at Draco, and he was still staring back. "Um, I just don't think it's right that everybody is blaming you when they don't have any real proof. They all seem rather quick to put the blame on you, don't you think?" Draco was staring at her suspiciously. "They're so ready to blame somebody, they just go for whoever seems most likely to them. Like they know you."

"And you do?" Draco retorted, standing up quickly. He looked angry. "You don't know anything about me, Weasley. Don't pretend like you do."

Ginny stood up too, and moved around the desk to stand in front of him. "You're right...I don't know anything about you, but I can help you. You can't prove yourself innocent by yourself, and I can't do it alone either. We have to work together." They were both silent for a moment, staring at each other. Draco started walking slowly towards Ginny, closing the space between them.

"After we're done, we can go back to trying to kill each other," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "No strings attached."

"Uh-huh," Draco said. "And what is your brother going to say when he finds out his baby sister is working with a Malfoy?"

Ginny gave a small laugh. "You thought I was going to tell Ron? If we do this, we can't tell anybody. What would _anybody_ say if they knew we were working together?" Draco nodded his head slightly. So slightly, that Ginny doubted it even did. He put his wand away, and folded his arms over his chest.

"So does this mean you'll agree?" Ginny asked, trying to keep the hopefulness out of her voice. She stuck out her hand. "Partners?"

Grudgingly, Draco shook her hand. "Partners."

* * *

The next day went by quickly for Ginny. She and Draco had agreed to meet in the Astrology tower that night to form a plan. The most logical place to start looking for clues would be down in the tunnels where they had found Albert, but they would discuss all that tonight.

Ginny was sitting in the Gryffindor common room with Hermione, Ron, and Harry. They were all doing homework. She would continuously sneak peaks at the latter over her Potions book. He was always looking down though. Ginny didn't talk too much about Harry's breakup with him. He had told Ron all about it, and she had heard about it from him. Apparently, Jenny and Harry had gotten into a fight over Quidditch teams when Harry had been teaching her how to fly. "It was stupid, really," she had heard Harry telling Ron. "One minute I'm telling her to hold on, and the next we're arguing about which team is better, Gryffindor or Ravenclaw."

Outwardly, Ginny appeared to be consoling Harry. She would try to say nice things, about how their break up was for the best, and that he could do so much better than Jenny, which, in Ginny's opinion, was entirely true. Nobody had seen much of Jenny since then. Occasionally they'd see her sitting at the Ravenclaw table, laughing and eating as if she had never even gone out with Harry. Though Ginny was glad they were no longer a couple, she couldn't help but be mad at Jenny for hurting Harry.

* * *

The night approached quickly for Ginny. Before she knew it, it was midnight, and she was making her way up to the Astrology tower. When she got there, Draco was already waiting.

"You're late," he said.

"No I'm not," Ginny sniffed. "You're just early."

"I'm never early…" Draco mumbled. He was sitting where Ginny had sat the night before. This time, he had lit many candles, and there was a fire in the grate so there was plenty of light. He sat back and folded his arms, looking up at Ginny expectantly. Ginny sat down across from him.

"Well?" Draco asked.

"Well what?" Ginny retorted.

"Well what do we do now? I came, didn't I? Now what."

"Now," Ginny said, irritated, "we make a plan. Like what we do first, who we think is a suspect, where do we start looking, that sort of thing." They were both silent.

"Look, Weasley, if you think I'm going to come up with everything, you can just forget it. This was your idea."

"Fine then," Ginny grumbled. "I think we should start by searching that tunnel where Albert Harding was found. Then we can see if there are any clues left behind. Someone must have brought him there; they might've left something."

"He wasn't necessarily _brought_ there" Draco said. "He could've just wandered there by himself and bumped his head or something. Or somebody could've found him there and cursed him. Maybe he went there by himself…maybe nobody even took him in the first place."

_Ha!_ Ginny thought. _Trying to cover up, are you?_ "Then how do you explain the disappearance of Trent Johnson? Hmmm? I suppose he just wandered off too, didn't he?"

"I don't know," Draco said through gritted teeth. "Why do think I have all the facts?"

"I thought Malfoy's knew everything," Ginny said smugly. "I guess I was wrong."

"Of course your wrong, Weasley!" Draco seemed triumphant that he could prove her wrong. Then he seemed to realize what that meant for him.

"So you admit that you don't know everything?" Ginny grinned at him. "I never thought I'd see the day when a Malfoy admits he's wrong."

"That's not what I meant, Weasley, and you know it." Ginny merely smirked at the obviously irritated Draco.

"Are we going to do this or not?" Draco was in a bad mood now. "I didn't come up here at midnight just to have a pointless conversation. Especially with a _Weasley_," he sneered.

"Well, I already said what _I _think we should do," Ginny commented. "What do you think about my idea?"

"Whatever," Draco mumbled. He looked towards the fire, then back at Ginny. "Is that all? Because, honestly, I'm tired. I want to sleep right now. That's what normal human beings are meant to do this time of night, you know…sleep."

"No, that cannot be all," Ginny said. "What time are we going to meet to go down there? It obviously can't be anytime during the day, because people would know about it."

"I don't know when," Draco said. He remained silent for a moment, thinking. "What about now?"

"Now?"

"Yes, now, Weasley."

"What happened to you being tired?"

"I changed my mind," Draco shrugged his shoulders. "Besides," he added with a smirk, "there's no time like the present, right?"

* * *

"Ugh, Malfoy, how much farther?" Ginny whined as they slid along the corridor. They had silently made their way underground and were traversing the same path they had about a mother earlier. The light was poor, and both students had their wands lit. Even so, Ginny tripped more than once on loose gravel, and was forced to hold on to the wall for balance.

"What did you expect? A five-minute walk?" Draco sneered as he led the way.

"No," Ginny grumbled, "I just don't remember it taking this long. Are you sure we're going the right way? _We're not lost again, _are we?" she taunted.

"That wasn't my fault, Weasley. It was dark."

"Whatever," Ginny replied. Soon they reached the end of the hallway. "This is it, isn't it?" Ginny asked. "I mean, isn't this where we found him?"

"Yeah, I think so," Draco replied, walking around. He was examining the walls. Ginny turned to her left and right. Draco seemed to be doing a good job of pretending he was just as curious as she was. She started gazing about, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

"Do you see anything?" Draco asked without looking up.

"No…you?"

"No. I don't see anything," Draco walked toward Ginny and folded his arms over his chest. "There's probably nothing here to see." _That's what you want me to think,_ Ginny said to herself.

"Oh come on, Malfoy. I'm sure there's _something_." Ginny started moving into the shadows. Soon, Malfoy was far behind her, and the only light she had was her own wand. That didn't reach too far.

"Don't get lost, now," Draco sneered, his voice echoing in the tunnel.

"Bugger off," Ginny muttered.

"What was that, Weasley?" Draco demanded. Ginny still couldn't see him.

"I said- " Ginny was cut off as she tripped over a rock and fell forward. Before she hit the ground, however, someone caught her.

"You do that a lot, don't you?" Malfoy said as he helped her up from behind. His arms were around her waist, holding her up, and Ginny's cheeks grew hot. However, nobody noticed since it was so dark. Ginny started to retort but was silenced by Draco.

"Do you hear that?"

"Malfoy, I don't hear any-" Draco slapped a hand over her mouth and shushed her. Ginny grunted in indignation, but then she heard a noise. It sounded like shuffling feet. Cocking her head to the side, Ginny listened harder. It was coming their way.

"Be very quiet," Draco whispered in her ear, and he pulled her further into the shadows. They were invisible, just standing there quietly. The noise was getting louder and closer, and now Ginny could hear heavy breathing as well. Ginny moved as far from Draco as she could while staying hidden.

After a few more seconds, a figure became visible in the distance. Ginny couldn't see his face well since he was too far away. She strained her eyes, and then gasped as she recognized him.

Argus Filch.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Ginny hissed at Malfoy. He glared at her, as if silently telling her to shut up. They both focused on Filch. Mrs. Norris was creeping alongside him; Filch was talking to her.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Norris, we'll find them. Rotten dirty little kids…they always leave a path behind them, don't they? Yes, don't worry….we'll catch them. Then maybe Dumbledore will finally listen to us…"

Filch was soon past them, walking further and further away. Mrs. Norris glanced back once, and almost appeared to see them, but she kept trotting on.

"Come on," whispered Draco, shooting out of the shadows and running down the corridor. "Let's get out of here."

Ginny ran after them. If they were caught out this late and in the tunnel where Albert Harding was found, there was no telling how much trouble they'd be in.

So they ran. After about ten minutes, Ginny had to stop. Draco, very reluctantly, agreed. Sliding to the ground, Ginny closed her eyes and panted heavily. Her whole body ached with the effort of running. Draco's patience didn't last long though. He was soon dragging her to her feet and they resumed the running once more.

"Stop-" Ginny panted, slowing down. "I'm not running anymore." Draco growled and turned around.

"What do you mean, you're not running? Do you want to get caught?" Draco looked furious.

"In case you didn't notice," Ginny said, her own temper rising, "Filch ran the other way! I think we can walk now!"

"This is all your fault, Weasley," Draco pointed accusingly at her. "If you hadn't decided to come down here, we wouldn't have to run in the first place!"

"My fault?" Ginny asked incredulously. "It was your idea to come here in the middle of the night! I did nothing wrong."

"Whatever, Weasley," Draco scoffed. "If you want to stay down here and walk, that's perfectly fine with me. I, however, will not be caught." Draco Malfoy then started running again.

"Fine!" Ginny shouted after him. "Leave! I don't care. I _will_ walk, and I'll get back just fine." Ginny stood up. "I won't get caught-"

"Stop right there," said a voice behind her. Ginny froze as she recognized Argus Filch's voice. _Must've shouted too loudly,_ thought Ginny. She turned around.

"Aha!" Filch squealed, looking gleeful, "And what would you be doing down here at this time of night? You better have a good explanation or it's expulsion with you."

"I was just filling in for my brother Ron, is all," Ginny lied quickly. "He's Head Boy, but he wasn't feeling well enough to make his rounds tonight. I offered to help. That's all I was doing," Ginny tried to hide her anxiety. Filch looked skeptical.

"He's supposed to get one of the prefects to do that, isn't he?"

"He is, but he couldn't find any of them. It was kind of a last minute thing," Ginny said.

"Fine," Filch said gruffly. "Next time, you tell one of the teachers. Otherwise, you'll get a detention, whether it was a favor to your brother or not."

"Thank you," Ginny sighed. "I promise it won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't."

Ginny started to leave; she still had a ways till she got out of the tunnel. She stopped when Filch didn't follow her.

"Aren't you coming back?"

"Yes." Filch said while staring off into space. "Yes, I was just thinking that…." He looked up suspiciously at her.

"What?"

"Nothing. Come on, let's get back."

Once they finally exited the tunnel, Ginny left without a word. The sooner she got away from Filch, the better. He seemed to suspect her, and Ginny didn't like it one bit.

She silently snuck into the Gryffindor House and crept into her room. _Damn that Malfoy!_ She thought angrily. _He would be in trouble too, if only he hadn't run away like a chicken._ She cursed under her breath, careful not to wake any of her roommates. Then she climbed into bed and pulled the curtains closed around her. Tomorrow was another day, and she'd figure everything out then.

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A/N: Finally, an update. I got writers block after a while, and then when I almost finished writing it, I changed my mind about stuff and when and re-wrote a bunch. I didn't really like this chapter, but oh well. Review, please!

Lauren


	11. Sucking Bleaters

Ok, ATTENTION PEOPLE! I'm so so so sorry for taking sooooo long to post a new chapter, but things are getting really hectic for me. And our computer crashed (finally…I knew something was wrong with it…) and my dad has been on it 24/7 trying to fix it. And then my dog had to go get surgery done, so we've been busy with that. Plus school is really tough this year. Aaaaand, I'm very sad to say that I won't be able to update this until the end of November. I'm participating in NaNoWriMo. For those of you who don't know, that's National Novel Writing Month. That means that I have to write a 50,000 word novel starting Nov. 1 – Nov. 30. So pretty much in my spare time, I'll be working on writing that. To give you an idea of how long something 50,000 words is…this story so far (including this chapter) is 37, 943 words. And that's including all my author notes and review responses. If you want to check out my profile on the NaNoWriMo website, my username is L. E. M. And if by some miracle I update this during November, you'll know that I have severe writers block on my other story. Oh, and I know the title of this chapter sucks (no pun intended), but you'll understand what it means when you read the chapter.

**ILOVDRACO**- Well, of course, I'm never going to say who it is, who it isn't, who it might be, and who it might not be. You'll just have to keep on reading. )

**QueenThayet12990**- Lol, I'm glad you liked the chapter. And yes, that's why it's called Partners. I'm surprised I was actually able to think of a title for the story, because that's usually the hardest part for me…naming things.

**Torri-Chiobie**- suicidal? What do you mean by your new penname? I hope your not suicidal. Thanks for reviewing.

**dragonlayer**- Haha, yep. She's going to trick him. At least…that's the plan for now…

**melanctha**- Well, I'm super glad that you like the story. As I've said before, I try really hard to make it as real and close to the books as possible, but sometimes it's just difficult. Thank you so much for the review.

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own anything to do with HP.

**Chapter 11: Sucking Bleaters**

The castle still buzzed about the disappearance of Trent Johnson. So far, nobody had seen or heard anything of him. The teachers searched the castle high and low after their classes, and occasionally students were found looking as well. It had been almost a week since his disappearance. Dumbledore had owled Trent's parents, and they showed up at Hogwarts the next morning. Draco, as he was walking down the staircase, saw them being led by Professor McGonagall to the Headmaster's office. Trent's mother, a small lady with long, dark hair, had puffy eyes, and her husband's arm was around her shoulder. Draco shook his head.

He thought back to his meeting with Ginny. So they were now partners, working together. Draco hated it; however, he saw no other way to clear his name. The whole school seemed to believe that he was responsible for the disappearances, even some of the teachers. None of them would openly say or show anything to prove that, but he would see them whispering in the halls. McGonagall even seemed more irritated than usual with him; Draco was constantly having house points taken away from him.

After Draco had gotten out of the tunnel that night, he had waited in the shadows. Shortly, Ginny and Filch had come out and gone their separate ways. Ginny had been fuming, and Draco smirked. _I bet now she wishes she had come with me,_ Draco thought. _She must be in loads of trouble._

That afternoon, as soon as Draco finished with his classes, he went up to his room. He couldn't stand everybody glaring at him. He set his books down and rested against the wall, folding his arms.

_Tap tap tap._

Draco jerked his head up.

_Tap tap tap._

He looked toward his window, where there was an owl hovering outside. He sighed when he recognized it as one of the school's barn owls. That meant it wasn't from his father. He opened the window and the owl swooped in, dropped the letter on Draco's bed, and flew back out. Draco opened his letter.

_Malfoy,_

_Meet me again in the Astrology tower. Same time. We need to talk._

_-Ginny_

Draco shrugged his shoulders and tossed aside the letter. Talk? What did that mean?

* * *

That night, Draco climbed once more up the stairs to the Astrology tower. He had already dodged Filch once on the way; the man had been snooping around in a classroom, but Mrs. Norris hadn't been with him. When he reached the door to the room where Ginny would be waiting, he saw a flicker of light seeping under the crack. Pushing the door open, he saw that Ginny was pacing back and forth across the room, an angry look on her face. She stopped when she saw Draco.

"You," Ginny said as she strode towards Draco and pointed at him accusingly. "You- you…" she sputtered, trying to find the right words. "You…"

"Yes. Me, Weasley," Draco said irritated. "What do you want?"

"Last night…you shouldn't have left! Filch now thinks _I'm_ the one who's hiding Trent Johnson! Me! I know he suspects me!"

"Well that's alright, then, isn't it? Draco smirked lazily, taking a seat at the desk.

"No!" shrieked Ginny. "I'm probably going to get in trouble for that, eventually. You shouldn't have left, because then he would suspect you."

Draco gave her a weird look. "Oh, and that would've been better? Do you know what people would say if they found a Malfoy and a Weasley down in that tunnel? Alone? At midnight? And not killing each other? Then you'd see trouble."

Ginny looked down at her feet, and flopped into a chair. "I suppose," she said quietly. "But if Filch tells everybody I was down there, then they'll all wonder what I was doing. Ron will know he didn't ask me to go there. They'll start thinking that I…" she trailed off, eyes wide.

"Welcome to my life," Draco said sarcastically, and Ginny frowned at him. "Look, Weasley, you don't have anything to worry about. Nobody is going to think it's _you._ I mean, it's you we're talking about. Who would suspect Ginny Weasley of kidnapping two muggle-borns?" Draco leaned back in his chair. "Now, me, on the other hand…" he smirked, "well, everybody would suspect me. They already do."

"You're right…for once," Ginny said. "Everybody suspects a Malfoy of doing this."

"Do you?" Malfoy asked quickly. Ginny glanced sharply at him.

"Suspect you?" Ginny looked away and paused for a moment. "I wouldn't be here if I did, would I?"

Draco inspected her. Her eyes darted up once, but when she saw him looking at her, she glanced away. Was she telling the truth? Did someone really believe he was innocent? Draco thought it doubtful; besides, a Weasley would be the last person to believe him innocent. So why was she here? Draco shook his head and let the matter go.

"So what do you want, then?" he asked. "In your letter, you said you wanted to talk."

"Well, mainly I just wanted to yell at you for leaving," Ginny mused, stretching her arms lazily. "But I suppose we should make plans, shouldn't we?" Draco nodded, and both fell into silence.

"We didn't find anything down there," Draco articulated, and Ginny coughed.

"Stating the obvious, aren't you?" she smirked up at him.

"Shut up, Weasley," Draco scowled. "I'm just thinking."

"You're thinking a little too loud," muttered Ginny.

"What was that?" Draco shot back.

"Oh, nothing," Ginny replied sweetly. "Nothing at all."

Draco gave her a dirty look. "Well, I don't think there's much we can do right now. Unless you feel like going back to that tunnel to look some more…?"

"No." Ginny stated firmly. "If we get caught down there again," she shuddered, "there's no telling how much trouble we'll be in. I think all we can do for now is keep our eyes and ears open. You know, watch for anything-"

"_Eyes and ears open_?" Draco sneered. "Do you know how corny that sounds?"

Ginny glared at him. "You know what I mean. We just need to watch out for anybody acting strangely, or anything out of place. That's all we _can _do. At least until Trent shows up. We have no clues to go by."

"Fine," yawned Draco, standing up. "If that's all, I'm going to bed. I've been wasting enough sleep lately." He started towards the door, but stopped when Ginny didn't move.

"You're staying?"

Ginny seemed to be lost in thought; she was staring into the fire with wide, tired eyes. "Hmm, oh – uh, yeah. I'm going to stay for a while," she mumbled, looking up at him. "You know, I have to sort through my thoughts and stuff."

Draco stared at her. The way the fire lit up her face astonished him; it made her skin appear golden. Her flaming red hair curled about her, accenting her exquisite features. _She almost looks…Ugh, what am I saying?_ Draco mentally punched himself for what he had almost thought. _I must be losing it._

"Whatever, Weasley," Draco snapped, and then he hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind him. The darkness wrapped around him, and he rested against the closed door, breathing softly. He closed his eyes and let the coolness overwhelm him. What had he been thinking back there? He slapped himself across the face. _You're spending way too much time with her, that's all. You just need some sleep. I'll just treat her like the filth that she is from now on, and everything will be alright. _Draco slapped himself once more, shook his head to clear his thoughts, and trotted down the empty hallways.

* * *

Ginny sat by the fire, biting her nails; Draco had just left.There was a feeling in the middle of her stomach, one she recognized. Guilt. At least, that's what she thought it was. _How can you feel guilty for this,_ she thought. _He's just a Malfoy. After all, he_ is _the one who started it all. There's no reason for you to feel guilty. And why should you care about him anyway? He's just a Malfoy.

* * *

_

The next day, Draco trudged through the snow towards his Herbology class. Usually, he'd be walking with Crabbe and Goyle, but he had forgotten one of his books and had had to go back and get it. Now he was going to be late, yet he didn't really care.

Without warning, a rock-hard snowball slammed into his cheek, throwing him off balance and knocking him into the snow. His face stung, and he could feel a welt rising already. He looked up angrily and saw Ron and Harry, both laughing, high-five each other. Snarling, he stood up, packed together two snowballs, and hurled them at the two boys. Each snowball hit its mark, and both Harry and Ron looked shocked, but soon were scooping up more snow. Draco, with a fierce look on his face, did the same. Soon, he, Ron, and Harry were hurling snowballs at each other at an incredible rate. Most of the snowballs missed Draco because they were so far away.

Harry and Ron moved closer, and Draco leaped back, trying to dodge the snowballs. He was pelted in his stomach, arms, legs, and feet. He tried to scoop up more snow, but Harry and Ron, seeing that Draco was weakening, started throwing more snowballs. He threw his arms in front of his face as the snowballs kept attacking him. "Hey!" he shouted. "Wait-" a snowball popped him in the mouth, and he choked on the cold snow that fell down his throat. Harry and Ron smiled triumphantly at him. Simmering with anger, he packed together snow so hard that it turned into an ice ball. He whipped his arm back and lobbed it towards Ron. Whamming into the side of his face, it forced Ron to stumble backward. Then he started towards Draco angrily, but Harry pulled him back. He whispered something in his ear, and with a last glance at Draco, they walked off.

"Yeah, you better run!" Draco shouted after them. "Because I was just getting ready to kick your butts!" Everybody outside stared at Draco, and he made an ugly face at them. _Well, that was…fun,_ he thought. _We'll have to do that again sometime._ He picked up his books and walked into the greenhouses.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, I'm glad to see you finally decided to join us," Professor Sprout called to him. "I do not tolerate tardiness. Since you were late, you may join Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, who were also late, in a detention tonight. All three of you, report to Filch's office at eight tonight.

Groaning inwardly, Draco found a seat in the back near Crabbe and Goyle and slumped into it. _Detention with Pothead, Weasel, _and_ Filch? Nice.

* * *

_

That evening, Draco slowly walked towards Argus Filch's office. Tonight was going to be horrible, he knew it. Potter and Weasley were going to make sure he was miserable. _No problem, I'll just make it miserable for them too._

When he reached the office, Harry and Ron were already there. They were sitting in front of Filch's desk with pained expressions on their face. They looked at Draco when he entered the room, and then they grimaced at each other.

"Finally," muttered Filch, rising from behind his desk. "Took your time getting here, didn't you? That _is_ what you're here for in the first place…being late."

"Whatever," Draco said. Remaining standing, he folded his arms. "Are we going to get going with this detention or what?"

Filch glared at him, and then motioned to Harry and Ron.

"Up, come on, I already told you what you're going to be doing. Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Draco asked as Filch swept by him, followed reluctantly by Ron and Harry. "What are we doing?" Nobody answered him.

They progressed down the empty hallway and soon they were out of the castle and striding across the dark, wet grounds. They started walking towards the Forbidden Forest. Draco had a strange sense of déjà vu; yet, before they reached the forest, they turned towards Hagrid's hut. When they reached the door, Filch rapped twice.

"Yer here," Hagrid said, opening the door and smiling widely at them.

"Just make sure it gets done," Filch said menacingly, and then stalked back towards the castle. Draco stared after him uneasily.

"Crazy old coot…" Hagrid muttered. "Come in, come in. We've got work to do."

They entered Hagrid's house, and Draco wrinkled his nose. There was one very large, un-made bed in the corner, and a few articles of clothing were thrown carelessly over a giant chair. In the middle of the room was a large wooden table, and three buckets rested on top of it. A grungy smell was emanating throughout the room.

"You live here?" Draco sneered. "This place isn't even fit for our house-elves to live in."

Hagrid, Ron, and Harry all turned and glared threateningly at him, so Draco became silent, though he still observed the room with distaste. Hagrid waved them over to the table, where he sat down on a stool.

"We're going to be sorting through Sucking Bleaters tonight."

"What?" Harry, Ron, and Draco all asked at the same time.

"They are called Sucking Bleaters," Hagrid said as he reached into one of the containers and pulled out a small, thin, black thing that was about six inches long. He held on to a small portion of the creature, and the rest of it curled up, trying to reach Hagrid's hand; he dropped it back into the container before it could though. "They are very similar to the Muggle leach, except more…magical," he grinned at the students.

"But why are they called Sucking Bleaters?" Draco asked. He didn't like the way the creatures curled and uncurled. They didn't appear to have a head, either.

"Well, they attach onto something living, and they suck out their blood," Hagrid's eyes grew wide and his eyebrows disappeared in his bushy hair. It made him seem a bit deranged, and Draco had a distinct feeling that he was being made fun of. Harry and Ron snickered slightly. "When they're hungry, they start bleating…they sound just like a pig. 'Cept the thing is, only the females bleat. The males won' do it. What we're supposed to do tonight is sort the females from the males so they don't mate."

Draco looked at the bleaters wearily. They were getting restless, and almost all of them were curling around in the container, thrashing about hungrily.

"Sometimes, they'll get into the castle. Mostly though, they just hide," Hagrid glanced fondly at the creatures. "Fer some reason, Dumbledore don' want them in there. An' he definitely don' want them matin'."

"Right, so…Hagrid," Ron said uneasily. "How exactly are we going to separate them? They look a little…wicked. But not in a good way."

"It's simple, Ron," Hagrid replied. "All we have to do is wait for them to get hungry. They usually do around this time. Since the males and females all look alike, we have to wait until the females start bleatin' and then we can tell them apart." He tapped one of the empty buckets on the table. "We'll put the females in here and put the males-"

A loud squealing pierced the air, and Draco clapped his hands over his ears. The first noise was joined by a second and soon, the room was filled with the sounds of hungry female Sucking Bleaters.

"Now, what we gotta do," Hagrid shouted, a glint in his eyes, "is pick 'em up. Be careful not to touch the sucking end, otherwise they'll latch onto you and they won' come off."

"And how do we know which end is the sucking one?" Draco called sarcastically.

Hagrid stared at him steely-eyed and said, "Jus' hope you get lucky."

Draco paled slightly, but nobody noticed with the noise the Bleaters were making.

"Then just hold them up to yer ear and see if they're one o' the Bleaters making noise. If they are, put them in the bucket on the left. Males go on the right."

Harry and Ron slowly moved towards the bowl and watched Hagrid as he picked up a Sucking Bleater. He held it up to his ear, being careful to stay out of its reach. Then he dropped it into one of the empty buckets. Looking expectantly at them, he motioned with his hands towards the very full bucket, and Harry reluctantly picked up a Bleater with two fingers; Ron and Draco watched. With a yell, he tried to let go of the Bleater and started waving his hand around; the Sucking Bleater was attached to his finger. Rushing forward and grabbing Harry's arm, Hagrid wrenched the Bleater off with one powerful yank. He listened to it briefly, and then tossed into the other empty bucket. Then he faced Harry.

"You alrigh', Harry?"

Harry nodded.

"You see, try to stay away from the ends that start curling…those are the ends with the mouth. Do that, and you'll be fine."

Ron now picked up a Sucking Bleater and held it arm's length away. Screwing up his face in concentration, he tried to detect if his Bleater was making noise or not, but with the whole room filled with bleats, he couldn't tell. He quickly put it next to his ear and then threw it into the container that Hagrid had put his into.

"You, Malfoy, ge' over 'ere an' help."

Reluctantly, Draco walked up to the table and grabbed a Sucking Bleater out of the container. All of them were writhing about, and he grabbed one that was moving less than the others. Cold and slimy, it wriggled in his hands, and he tightly held onto one end. It didn't immediately attach itself to his finger, so he supposed he had the tail end. He put the Bleater next to his ear and listened. At first, he didn't hear anything, but shortly the Bleater gave a shrill cry in his ear. Draco ripped it away and dropped it into the bucket on the left, rubbing his ear. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Sighing in relief, Draco exited Hagrid's cabin almost two full hours later. Harry and Ron were staying behind for a little while to help Hagrid clean up, but Draco had gotten out as soon as he could. It had taken them longer than expected to sort through all of the Bleaters; when they were halfway done, a Bleater had attached itself to Ron's hand, and as he had waved it about, he had knocked all the buckets over, mixing together males and females. They had had to start over.

Draco breathed in the cold night air, trying to clear his ears of the ringing that was going on inside them. He didn't know if he'd ever hear right again. Tired to the bone, he hurried his way across the empty grounds towards the castle.

By the time he got to his room, he had put his horrible evening behind him. He dropped onto his bed, and within minutes, sleep enveloped him.

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**A/N:** You guys are lucky. I almost put a very very very very very evil cliffhanger there. But I decided to be nice to you since I won't be updating for about a month. Sooooo, that means you have to be nice and review. Please. Lol, when I was writing that snowball fight, I kept picturing them throwing snowballs to the YMCA song. It kinda ruined the mood of the story, but it was really funny.

Lauren


	12. Guilt

**PLEASE READ:** Alright, well I know I said that I wouldn't update this during November, but I got a free moment and decided to write; that's why the chapter is soooo extremely short. I hope all of you read my author note at the beginning of the last chapter, because I explained why I wasn't going to update. Good news though: I have over 30,000 words written in my novel for NaNoWriMo. But anyway, about _this_ story. I'm sorry if Ron is seeming way too mean, but think about it for a minute. He absolutely hates Draco. Back when they were in the hall and Ron jinxed him and left him, that seems like something Ron would do to me. He's all alone, he caught Draco in a perfect situation, and he took advantage of it. And he's being protective of his sister. I mean, Draco said something like "Watch your backs…you and your sister" so of course Ron is going to tell him to back off; it's his baby sister. Ron is very protective of Ginny, especially in the 5th book when Ginny almost goes out with Michael Corner. But I do agree with you guys, Ron is a bit "forward" and "evil", as you say. I'm trying hard to make him seem more like a goof and…you know…not the "brightest crayon in the box". I'm working on it.

Also, I don't really like this chapter but it was all spur-of-the-moment. I'm supposed to be doing other work right now. And I re-read all my other chapters and was appalled to see all of the typos in there. Sorry about that; I try to proofread these as good as I can before posting, but I miss some things. Please excuse all of those mistakes.

**MadelineR**- thanks for the review. Hope you like it.

**QueenThayet129990**- I'm glad you think they're good.

**elfprincess90**- Well I answered the Ron question. You're not the first person to address it. Anyway, I'm really glad that you like my writing style and I'm glad you like the story. Thanks for the review.

**dragonlayer**- Yep, the guilt has to come sometime. Enjoy the guilt in the chapter…

Disclaimer: What do you mean I don't own this? I must've been dreaming my whole life then because I _could've sworn_ I owned Harry Potter. _Yeah…_

**Chapter 12: Guilt**

Ginny entered Divination class that afternoon with a heavy heart. Everything had been going so well but now they seemed to be falling apart. Though she was very happy that Harry wasn't dating Jenny anymore, she hated that some of her feelings had returned. _Why can't I just make up my mind?_ she thought wearily as she sat down. She thought that she was forever over Harry, but when she had gotten the idea of proving Malfoy guilty of kidnapping the students and gaining Harry's attention, she just couldn't resist it. Now the guilt of what she was doing was weighing in on her. She knew Malfoy was guilty; there was no doubt about that in her mind. It was just…Malfoy actually seemed to trust her somewhat, and she hated that anybody, even a Malfoy, would trust her when she shouldn't be trusted.

Ginny sighed. Trelawney entered the classroom which was now full and smiled at the students.

"I have that test that I was telling all of you about," she said. "I trust you all remember those two questions I had you fill out a few weeks ago?"

A few people nodded their heads and Ginny perked up. She remembered and she was actually curious as to what was going to happen.

"Well, it's not quite a test, seeing as there will be no grade," Trelawney said, which brought many sighs of relief from the students. "It's more of a…a survey, if you will. I really don't know what it has to do with Divination," Trelawney sniffed, "but Professor Dumbledore wanted me to assign this to you. All of you answered two questions but nobody had the same two questions to answer. Therefore, each test will be slightly different. I have it here for you now, and you will have the entire class to complete it. I expect them back before you leave."

Trelawney passed out a sheet of parchment to each student. When she was done, she sat at her desk and rifled through a few papers. Ginny looked anxiously at her test and frowned when she saw the questions.

_1._ _You are trapped in a house with one friend and one enemy. You friend is gravely injured and although you are not fighting with your enemy, you are not getting along with him. You enemy is the only one with the power to save your friend, who is slowly dying. The enemy says that in exchange for healing your friend, you must grant him one wish, though he does not tell you what it is. What do you do?_

_2. You alone have the power to change the world for the better. This chance to help others means that you will forever be separated from those you love, even though you will be helping them. Do you choose to leave them and save them, or stay for what time remains and see them destroyed?_

_3. The one person that is dearest to you is dying. The power to save them means that you must sacrifice yourself and die in their place. Do you do it?_

_4. You are fighting He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He is holding your best friend captive and demands that for their release, you must become a Death Eater and fight for him. Do you go to the dark side and hurt others you love to save one?_

_5. Everybody you love the most has either abandoned you or died. You see no point in living yet there is one person, a stranger, somebody you have never met, who relies on you. Do you stay to help that one person you have never met or give up entirely?_

Upset, Ginny flipped the parchment over and looked around. What kind of test was this? She didn't want to answer these questions. Why would Professor Dumbledore give them a test like this? For once, she agreed with Trelawney. She didn't see what any of this had to do with Divination.

Ginny sighed and pulled out her quill and ink. Under the first question she scribbled her answer. _I choose to grant him his request as long as my friend is saved. _

She re-read question two again and thought hard. She knew what she should write down, but she didn't think she'd be strong enough to abandon her friends and family even if it meant saving them. She'd want to be right by their side even if it meant death. Then she wrote her answer. _I'd stay and do the best I could to try to protect them._

Question three was easier for her to answer. _I'd gladly die for them to save them._

She had to think for a moment on number four. She knew that if her parents were the ones being held captive, they wouldn't want her to succumb to Voldemort. They would rather die than see her a Death Eater. So would Ron and Harry and all her other friends. But would she be able to die knowing she could save them? Ginny growled in frustration. She didn't like being forced to think these thoughts, but she wrote her answer. _No._

Question five completely confused Ginny. She had no idea how to answer it. What would she do if she were in that situation? She would never give up; she knew that._ If somebody needs my help, then I must help them._

Ginny lowered her quill and stared at the questions and her answers. She tried to figure out if she disliked any of the answers or wanted to change them but decided against it. She looked up and saw that a few students had already left. She walked to the front of the class and handed Professor Trelawney her test. Then she left the room.

* * *

None of the rest of Ginny's day went any better. As she would walk through the halls she'd see other students glowering and calling insults to Malfoy, but she kept her head down and walked by. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the face, so she did the only thing she could. She ignored him.

Also, the test Trelawney had given them disturbed her. She kept going back through the questions in her mind and trying to answer them again. She couldn't find any different answers, but she wished that she had never had to answer them in the first place.

As she started writing a paper for Transfiguration in the Gryffindor common room, she tried to put the questions out of her mind. Harry and Ron were sitting near the fire playing chess and Ginny glanced at them periodically. Hermione was studying in the library.

When she walked down to the Great Hall for supper, she kept quiet and to herself. Harry and Ron had already been eating for a while but Hermione has skipped dinner, insisting that she had too much homework to do. There were many students loitering about in the halls and as she walked, someone only feet from her called out.

"Watcha doing, Weasley," Draco Malfoy's voice drawled at her. "Going to get some food? You better fill up now because when you go home for the holidays your parents won't have enough money to pay for food for your whole family." Crabbe and Goyle guffawed next to him and he smirked.

Ginny looked briefly at him and hardly even contemplated a retort. She wasn't in an argumentative mood at the moment. She just shook her head sadly at Draco's behavior and kept walking.

"That's right, Weasley," Malfoy called after her. "You know not to mess with a Malfoy, don't you?"

Ginny just ignored him…again. Though she knew exactly why Malfoy would normally say things like that to her, she thought it a bit odd that he would when she was helping him. _I suppose I deserve it,_ she thought. _And besides, he's just in a bad mood because everybody knows he's guilty.

* * *

_

"Miss Weasley, will you please come to my office?" Professor McGonagall asked her the next day after class.

Ginny nodded anxiously, wondering what she had done. Her mood was still slightly depressed, but she had done well in Transfiguration that day. After all the other students had filed out of the class, Ginny followed the professor into her office.

"Have a seat, please," McGonagall motioned to a chair across from her desk, and both student and teacher took a seat.

"Mr. Filch tells me that you were out late a few nights ago," McGonagall said smoothly, eyeing Ginny carefully. Ginny gulped. "He says your excuse was that your brother asked you to take his patrol that night."

Ginny stared nervously back at the teacher. She knew she was caught now, but what was she going to say? Certainly not the truth.

"Ginny," the professor said, leaning forward, "I know for a fact that your brother completed his rounds of the hallways himself that night. Also, nobody has patrol duties in the tunnels under the castle. Just exactly what were you doing down there after midnight?"

"Um – err…Well, you see Professor, I was just…" Ginny trailed off at the speculating stare of her teacher. "I was just going for a walk," Ginny said with a shrug of her shoulders. Then she mentally slapped herself for such a lame excuse, but it was all she could think of.

"A walk?" McGonagall asked her suspiciously. "And why would you be taking a walk there, of all places? You know you're not supposed to be out of your dormitory after curfew, Miss Weasley."

"I'm sorry Professor, but I couldn't sleep and walking always seems to help me relax," Ginny said. "I guess I just had too much on my mind. I'm really sorry that I broke the rules, but I just couldn't stay cooped up in the Gryffindor common room anymore."

"I see," McGonagall said, leaning back in her seat. "Well, that does not excuse your lack of following the rules."

"Are you going to give me a detention?" Ginny asked desperately. That was the last thing she needed right now. Pile a detention on top of all her other stresses and homework and her emotional stability would collapse. Something in McGonagall must have seen her apprehension and softened, because she gave a rare smile.

"No, Miss Weasley, I will not. I will only take away house points, but please make sure this never happens again."

"Thank you, Professor," Ginny said, relief obvious in her voice. McGonagall stood and Ginny followed suit. The professor opened the door for Ginny to leave. As she was walking through the door, she stopped and turned.

"Um, Professor, did you ask Ron if he had given his rounds to me?" Ginny tried to ask casually.

"No I did not, Ginny," replied McGonagall. "If I have a problem with one of my students, I come to them, not their sibling."

Ginny smiled at her teacher. "Have a good afternoon," she said and then walked out of the Transfiguration classroom and into the halls of Hogwarts. She didn't see the frown or look or look of worry on Minerva McGonagall's face.

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**A/N:** Well there you go. Sorry for the short chapter, but I really don't have time to write more at the moment. This is more of a filler chapter but I decided to give you guys something. Also, don't expect another chapter until well after November. Probably a week after November, maybe, idk. Please review. Please.

Lauren


	13. Surprise

Well, finally a new chapter! Good news: I successfully completed NaNoWriMo 2005. My total word count, as of Monday evening when I "entered into the NaNoWriMo Hall of Heroes", was 51,022. So that's really really awesome. But anyway, back to business. Now that my life isn't completely taken up with writing at least 2000 words a day, I can concentrate A LOT more on this story, so expect chapters more frequently! cheers 

In case you don't know, which I'm sure all of you do know, none of us are supposed to put review replies in the chapters. So, if you leave a signed review, I can reply using the new feature (which is so cool) but if you leave an anonymous review, sorry. I can't reply. But please keep reviewing! It really does mean so much to me.

Disclaimer: I don't own this.

**Chapter 13: Surprise**

Grumbling, Draco stomped his feet as he walked into the Great Hall, his broomstick resting against his shoulder. Quidditch practice hadn't gone so well. As team captain, he had had the difficult decision of deciding who would and who wouldn't be on the house team that year. At Quidditch tryouts a few weeks back, he had made the choices. To his disgust, nobody at all had tried out for the position of Beaters, so Crabbe and Goyle were still on the team. Their Keeper, as it had been last year, was Warren Quinn, a burly sixth year with black hair. All three of their Chasers had been replaced, however; Draco decided that the ones they had last year were not aggressive enough. Their three new Chasers were Aidan Tulson, a brown hair and brown-eyed sixth year; Blaise Zabini; and Alan Howry, a delicate looking yet fierce competitor that was only in fifth year. Draco still wasn't pleased with how the team had turned out, but hopefully it would be better than last year.

Shaking snow off of his cloak, Draco headed down towards the dungeons. When he reached the Slytherin Common Room, he said the password "Wolfsbane" and entered the common room. He walked up to his bedroom and shut the door. He had barely started to change out of his Quidditch robes when an owl appeared at his window. Seeing Draco, the owl fluttered outside of the window, hooting and waiting for Draco to let it in. Remaining where he was, Draco watched the scruffy owl carefully. The only people that ever wrote to him were his father and, more recently, Ginny. Either way he didn't want to read the letter.

He was contemplating ignoring the owl's now shrill hoots of indignation when a snowball slammed into his window, hitting the owl's wing. The owl fell out of sight, but soon it appeared at the window again. Sighing, Draco walked up to the window and opened it. On the ground below he saw his fellow housemate, Blaise Zabini, readying another snowball. He stopped when he saw Malfoy at the window and grinned.

"I thought you'd never open the window, Malfoy," Blaise called up to him. "That owl's gonna freeze if you don't do something with it."

Trying to avoid getting bitten by the irate owl, Draco untied the letter from the owl's leg. Once the letter was removed, the owl quickly snapped at Draco's hand and took off. Draco unfolded the letter and scanned to the signature at the bottom. His heart thumped when he saw it.

"Who's the letter from?" Blaise shouted, dropping the unfinished snowball onto the ground.

"Nobody," Draco called down to him. Then he shut the window and moved to his bed, sitting down and starting to read.

_Draco,_

_I want to remind you again of our Christmas plans. You will come home as soon as the Hogwarts Express leaves for the holiday. The Dark Lord will arrive for dinner Christmas day and will leave that night, so his stay will not be long. The main reason for his coming is to see how well you are prepared to become a Death Eater. I suggest that you refresh your memory on what responsibilities that entails before you come home. _

_I hope that at school you are keeping a low profile for now. I have heard from the other school governors about the disappearances. Do not draw attention to yourself because that could bring investigations that Malfoy Manor does not need. Do not be a fool. I know how much you hate the mudbloods and blood traitors, as do I, but do not go overboard. The extermination of the filth that haunts that school will be gone in due time; it will come with the rise of the Death Eaters and when the Dark Lord emerges in his full power. Until then, control yourself._

_I expect you to be on your best behavior when you return home. You wouldn't want anything unpleasant to happen, now would you? I will see you in a few weeks time._

_-Lucius_

Draco tossed the letter into the fire, as he did with all of his father's letters. There was no need for him to keep them. Every word his father ever spoke or wrote him was emblazoned in his mind.

He still didn't know what he would do when Christmas came. He would, of course, have to go home; but what he would do when he met Voldemort, he didn't know. Voldemort had only been to their house twice in Draco's life time, but he had been at school when it happened. As Voldemort's right-hand man, Lucius sometimes had to play host to the evil wizard.

* * *

"Just what do you think you're doing, Mr. Malfoy?" Professor Trelawney questioned abruptly. Draco stopped staring out the window and his eyes came back into focus; his mind often wandered while he was in Divination.

"Doing, Professor? Why, I'm trying to learn something useful. I suggest you get to teaching," Draco sneered. Looking somewhat shocked, Trelawney turned away from him and back to what she had been addressing to the class.

"As I was saying," continued Sybill Trelawney, "I have a surprise test for you, though I have told you before that it was coming up. Everybody in the school, including the first years, is taking this test. You are one of the last classes to take it. Now, I'm sure all of you remember those questions I had you answer?"

A few students nodded their heads, but others merely looked blank. Draco remembered; how could he forget? His had been _What are you most afraid of? _and _What is most precious to you? _He had found them odd questions for a test, but had answered them easily enough. For the first question, his answer had been _I don't fear anything._ The second answer had come to him easily enough. He started to write down _Myself _but just as he dipped his quill into the ink, he realized how conceited that sounded. _Oh well,_ he had thought. _I am Draco Malfoy and I do have a reputation to keep up._ So he had written that answer down.

Now a sinking feeling settled in his stomach. Trelawney had said there would be a test on those questions, but what did she mean?

"I have a paper here with a few questions on it pertaining to those two questions you answered earlier; this is the test. Dumbledore had me give these to each student and only just recently did he tell me what they were for. There were two sets of each pair of questions and two students each received a set of them. So for each question you answered, there was another student in the castle that had the exact same questions, but those two alone had them. Dumbledore…" Trelawney trailed off, a faraway expression on her face, "…he is a very mysterious man. He has not told me the whole reason for this, but he assures me that it is important."

With a questioning look on his face, Draco watched as a piece of parchment was handed to him. There was a list of questions on it, and he started reading them.

_1. You have come to care deeply for another person. If they are in grave danger, but you can save them by sacrificing yourself, do you?_

_2. You are an old man and death is knocking at your door. You are all alone in an empty house with nobody to care for you. If you could go back and do one thing differently in your life, what would it be?_

_3. You are able to take away everybody's greatest fear; however, this means that you yourself are stuck with them. Will you do it, and if so, how will it affect you?_

_4. Danger is all around you. Your only hope of survival is to ally yourself with your greatest enemy, who can help you. Who is your greatest enemy and how do you go about asking for their help?_

_5. As you grow up, you realize that you are a complete failure. Life no longer has any meaning to you because you have wasted it on trivial things. Yet something deep within you says that there is more if you look hard enough for it. Will you find it?_

Draco wrinkled his face and peered closer at the questions. _What the…?_ he thought. Anger started boiling inside him, rising higher and higher until he threatened to explode in a rage. Why would anybody ask questions like these? He knew one thing though: Draco Malfoy wasn't going to answer them.

Leaping off his light pink poof, he thumped to the front of the class where Trelawney was sitting calmly at her desk. He thrust his "test" in front of her and said, "I'm not doing this."

Draco could hear gasps and snickers from behind him, but he ignored them. He fixed his gaze on Professor Trelawney and waited for an answer.

"You must," Trelawney said to him, her eyes opened wide with earnest. "If you do not, I will have to give you a detention and then you will still have to do it."

"I won't answer these," Draco said. "There's absolutely no point in it. It doesn't even have anything to do with Divination!" He threw his arms up in the air in exasperation and fury.

"It is important," Trelawney stated. Her eyes glazed over and her head lolled to the side slightly; she stared at her desk, seeing nothing in particular. Draco raised an eyebrow at her but turned. He was just about to walk out of the classroom when Trelawney said, "Do not leave, Mr. Malfoy."

The rest of the class was watching with bated breath as the scene unfolded before them. Not bothering to hide his scowl, Draco turned to face the rest of the class and stalked back to Trelawney's desk.

"Fine. You want me to answer these questions? Fine. Then can I leave?" Draco snarled at her. All he got in reply was a simple nod. "My life couldn't get much worse," Draco muttered as he snatched the parchment back from Trelawney and headed to his desk. He sat down and pulled his quill and ink out.

For the first question, he wrote his answer: _I don't care about anybody._

His answer for the second question was, _My life is fine the way it is. There is nothing to change._

The third answer was simply, _I fear nothing._

He paused before answering the fourth question. He had many enemies, but which did he consider his worst? Many suspects crossed his mind: Harry Potter, Voldemort, his father. They were all enemies of his, sure, but were they his greatest? He settled for writing down, _Everybody is my enemy._

For his fifth answer, he wrote, _Life is what it is. If there were something more, I would've found it by now._

After he had scribbled down the last answer, Draco stood. Without even stopping, he tossed it on Trelawney's desk and walked out of the classroom; everybody watched him leave.

Draco stormed through the halls, irritated. He knew that he hadn't exactly answered the questions correctly, but he didn't care. What gave Dumbledore, or anybody else for that matter, the right to ask personal questions like that? Draco didn't think he even knew the answers; he had never even thought about them. _But that's not true,_ he told himself. _You've thought about it. Many times, actually. _

He thought about what it would be like to have somebody care for him, like a mother. Even to have them care enough to say "I love you" once in a while. For Draco, sometimes it felt like his hardened heart couldn't take any more, and that it would be nice if somebody just held him and didn't care if he cried or if he seemed weak.

Draco's eyes burned with suppressed rage. Why did he have to be born into such a lousy family? Why did his father have to be a Death Eater and his mother have to be so pathetic? Why did life have to be so difficult for him? Why couldn't he have a family like-

"Weasley!" Draco shouted as somebody bumped into him and he fell against the wall. Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger passed him, heading towards the stairs. "Watch where you're going!"

Ron turned around to say something as he kept walking, but failed to stop at the top of the stairs. He tumbled down the twenty or so stone steps until he crashed to a halt at the bottom. Hermione and Harry rushed to help him up and Draco stood at the top of the steps, laughing at them.

"Nice one, Weasel!" Draco crowed at them. He started down the steps lightly, making sure to keep far enough out of punching distance. "Next time watch where those over-sized feet of yours are going, and you can avoid situations like this."

Rubbing his head, Ron carefully sat up and gave Draco a glare. Then, with Hermione and Harry each holding onto one of his arms, he stood up. The three friends walked off.

Still grinning with glee, Draco walked away towards his next class of the day.

* * *

The next day Draco was walking from the castle down to Care of Magical Creatures class. The snow had stopped falling the day before yet there was almost a foot of it on the ground. He pulled out his wand and whispered a few quick words. Immediately, thick clouds of steam pored out the tip of his wand, melting some of the snow so that he had a path.

A commotion ahead of him caused him to look towards the greenhouses. Ginny Weasley was hurriedly walking towards the castle with her head down, holding her books close to her chest. She, along with a bunch of other students, had obviously just come from Herbology. The students behind her were mainly Hufflepuffs, but a few Gryffindors were there as well.

"…that's what Professor Sprout told me…" one girl said to another. They were both following Ginny. Then, louder, she said, "I hear that she's the one that took Harding and Johnson."

Draco stopped, stepped behind some bushes, and watched interestingly what was going on before him. With a hard look on his face, boy that Draco recognized from the Hufflepuff Quidditch team grabbed some snow and packed together a snowball. He lobbed it into the air and it splattered on Ginny's upper back. She didn't cry out or turn around, she merely stumbled and kept on walking, getting closer and closer to the castle, and Draco, whom everybody had failed to notice.

The boy that threw the snowball glared at Ginny's back and said to his friends, "And I thought she liked us muggleborns. She's no better than a Death Eater herself."

A few other students, primarily Ravenclaws, joined the group that was following Ginny and started gossiping with them.

"Ginny wouldn't do that," one girl said.

"But Filch caught her at the scene of the crime, Alana," said a Ravenclaw boy. Everybody stopped walking and watched Ginny. Draco stayed hidden next to a tiny cluster of bushes, just watching. Ginny was walking past his hiding spot, which was just down the steps, and starting up the stairs to the entryway. She didn't see him though because her face was cast down. The boy that had thrown the snowball earlier packed together another one, this time even harder. Draco could tell even before he hurled the ball through the air that it was going to hurt badly when it hit.

The ice ball, which was about the size of Draco's fist, smashed into Ginny's wrist. She cried out in pain and clasped her wrist as her books tumbled down the few stairs she had climbed up. Draco didn't know what made him do it, but he stepped away from behind the bushes and grabbed Ginny's books. Ginny turned and stared wide-eyed as Draco handed her few books to her. Everything around them seemed to stop what it was doing; the birds stopped chirping, the people stopped talking, and it seemed as if the very air ceased to move. Everybody was gawking at Draco, who had frozen in place when he realized what he had just done. His hand, holding the books, was extended towards Ginny and a stricken look appeared on his face. Ginny was half turned toward him, her hand still holding her wrist. Her eyes were open wide with surprise and shock.

Without moving his head, Draco's eyes peered to his left and his right. Everybody was still staring. Panicking, he dropped the books and dashed across the grounds towards Hagrid's hut. Everybody turned and watched him go.

Hesitating slightly, Ginny bent over and picked up her books. Then she darted up the remaining steps and disappeared into the castle. It was a full minute before anybody outside moved again. When they did, they were already talking fiercely with each other about what they had just seen.

That day in particular, Draco was glad that he was early to a class. It gave him time to catch his breath and clear his mind before anybody else arrived. He rubbed his face wearily. What had he done? Did he just help Ginny Weasley? A horrified look crossed his face as he realized that by that evening, the whole school would know and be talking about it.

"Hey Malfoy," a voice said from behind him and Draco jumped. He relaxed when he saw it was just Blaise Zabini. A throng of students were coming behind them, all of them headed towards Care of Magical Creatures class.

"Hey Zabini," Draco said nervously. He then reminded himself who he was and plastered an arrogant and relaxed look on his face. He couldn't let any of his housemates see him like this; they might start to think that he had gone soft. He didn't know what had made him pick up Weasley's books, but he, Draco Malfoy, surely wasn't going soft.

* * *

After class everybody headed back towards the castle. Draco was dreading this, for he knew that people would already be talking about him and Ginny. He took a deep breath and walked inside. Only a few people turned and looked at him; obviously word hadn't reached everyone yet. It would though; Draco had no doubt about that. If there was a secret in Hogwarts, it was everybody's business.

Draco was on his way to dinner that night. He had stayed up in the Slytherin Common Room for the rest of the afternoon so that he wouldn't have to face the school. The thought of them talking about him being a Death Eater suddenly seemed much more preferable than what they were sure to be talking about now.

He heard a thump through a door at his right; it was a door to one of the boys' lavatories. He paused and checked the halls. It seemed as if most people were already at dinner. He quickly opened the door, stepped inside, and shut the door behind him. He turned around and jumped back, barely managing not to cry out in shock as he saw what lay before him.

On the floor ahead of him was the form of a young boy, except this didn't look like any boy Draco had ever seen. His hair was standing straight on end and was florescent purple and his skin had turned a shocking shade of green. His Gryffindor robe had several rips in it. Another curious thing that Draco noticed was that his shoes were missing, even his socks. He saw that the boy's bare feet were even green.

_This must be Trent Johnson,_ Draco though, rubbing his jaw. He went through the rest of the bathroom and banged open all of the stall doors, his wand held ready. There was nobody in any of them; the bathroom was empty save for him and Trent. Draco went back to the boy, checked for a pulse, and found one.

He was just about leave the bathroom to go find a teacher when a thought struck him. If he was to tell a teacher where Trent Johnson was, everybody would suspect him of being the one to take him. They would think that he had just turned him in; nobody would think he was really innocent. Even if somebody walked in right now…it wouldn't be good.

Draco quietly pulled open the door to the bathroom and peered into the hallways which were now deserted. He stepped out of the lavatory and calmly walked towards the Great Hall. Somebody else would find Trent Johnson soon, and then nobody would suspect him. In the mean time, he would just act normal.

However, as he stepped into the Great Hall, all hopes of remaining normal flew out the window. Everybody in the hall turned to stare at him. Some burst out laughing, some pointed, others simply stared. Ginny was eating with her head bent down and in the case of Harry and Ron, they were glaring suspiciously at him. Trying to hide his apprehension, Draco sent an evil smirk their way and headed towards the Slytherin table. Most of the Slytherins treated him as normal, but a few looked at him questioningly. They all turned away when they saw the scowl on Draco's face though. Well, all except a few.

"What do they mean, you helped Ginny Weasley?" Pansy sniffed at him, pouting her lips. She placed a hand on Draco's shoulder and started rubbing it. Draco swatted her hand off and scooted away.

"I didn't help her," Draco said irritably. "I was just moving her books, which were in my way."

"That's not what everybody says that saw you today," Pansy continued. She was receiving some warning looks from her friends, but she chose to ignore them. "They say that you were helping her pick up her books."

"Are you going to believe some stuck-up Ravenclaws and dimwitted Hufflepuffs, or me?" Draco asked simply, his eyebrows raised.

"Of course I believe you, Draky-poo," Pansy cooed, turning back to her plate. "I just had to find out firsthand that you hadn't been helping her." She started cutting up some pork chops as she talked. "I mean, when I heard everybody saying that you had a crush on that shapeless, ugly, poor, good-for-nothing Weasley girl, I just knew it couldn't be true."

Draco took a sip of pumpkin juice and ignored Pansy. Personally, he didn't think that Ginny was shapeless, and certainly not ugly. Though Draco hated her with all his might, he couldn't help seeing that Ginny was no wallflower. Hey, he was guy, and he noticed things. Now, poor, on the other hand, Ginny certainly was.

Draco felt eyes on his back and he turned in his seat. Half of the Great Hall was staring openly at him; even a few of the teachers were looking his way. He scowled and turned around, which was more than he could say for everybody else.

He glanced at the Gryffindor table out of the corner of his eye and saw that Ginny had a miserable look on her face, and Draco couldn't blame her. Everybody knew that Malfoys and Weasleys hated each other. What must they all think seeing, if only for a moment, two of them getting along? But that wasn't the only thing bothering Ginny, he knew. He had heard the other rumors that were floating around school. They were saying that Ginny was the one kidnapping the students. Draco attributed that rumor to the fact that Filch had caught her, past midnight, wandering around the tunnel where Albert Harding was found. _I told her she should have run, _Draco thought.

Just then, somebody came rushing into the Great Hall. Draco, along with everybody else in the Great Hall, watched a fourth year Ravenclaw boy scramble to the head table. Gasping for breath, he halted next to Dumbledore and whispered something in his ear. Dumbledore scraped back his chair and stood up; professors McGonagall and Snape followed suit. Together, the three of them quickly walked past the house tables and out of the Great Hall. The boy that had come to them scampered after them hurriedly.

After a few moments, half of the hall stood up and hustled out into the corridor, looking to see which way the teachers had gone. Draco knew full well what had happened; they had found Trent Johnson.

* * *

By nightfall, news of Draco Malfoy helping Ginny Weasley had almost completely been forgotten about. Instead it was replaced with talk of Trent Johnson, the young Gryffindor first year. He had been taken to the Hospital Wing where Madame Pomfrey was doing all she could for him. So far, the boy still wouldn't wake up. His hair had been returned to the normal shade of brown and his skin was no longer green, but Madame Pomfrey couldn't seem to wake him. She had assured Dumbledore that he was in no danger and he seemed healthy other than the fact that he was unconscious.

It was nearing the end of November. The first Quidditch game of the season, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, would be in two days on the 30th of November. Recently Draco had taken to spying on the Gryffindors during their practice to see what kind of team it looked like they had this year; Finnigan and the Creevey brothers and joined the team. Draco wasn't the least bit worried about Collin and Dennis Creevey. One bludger sent their way courtesy of Crabbe and Goyle and they'd be out of the game; they were tiny boys.

Now, Seamus Finnigan, on the other hand…he might cause a problem for the Slytherins. Though not quite as tall as Draco was, he was still a good-sized lad with muscles. Draco had seen him play at practice and decided that he was a decent Chaser…for a Gryffindor anyway. Their other Chaser, Dean Thomas, was good as well. And then there was Ginny. Draco remembered her playing Quidditch last year, but it seemed as if she had improved greatly over the summer. Where earlier she sometimes had trouble catching the quaffle, now she could catch one backwards with her eyes closed; Draco had seen her do it at the end of practice last week.

As Draco readied for bed that night, his thoughts flew to the Christmas he would be spending with his family. Dread filled him when he thought of seeing Voldemort in person. He didn't quite know how he would handle it, but one thing was for sure: Draco would never surrender to him. Never.

* * *

The next day during lunch, Dumbledore stood. Immediately a hush covered the Great Hall as everybody expectantly waited for whatever their Headmaster had to say.

"I have good news, students," Albus Dumbledore said brightly. "Madame Pomfrey has succeeded in waking Trent Johnson."

Cheers erupted in the hall as everybody, including a few Slytherins, clapped and whistled. Madame Pomfrey, who was sitting at the head table, blushed slightly as a smile crept up her face.

"Yes, yes, it is wonderful," Dumbledore said, a huge smile plastered on his face. "However, he has no memory of what happened to him." Everyone in the Great Hall quieted. "It seems as if a memory charm was placed on him, a powerful one. He remembers everything up until the point of when he was taken. He remembers absolutely nothing that has to do with his disappearance, so I don't want anybody to question him. It will take time for him to get readjusted to the school schedule, and we want things to go as smoothly as possible.

"We will also be setting a few new rules," Dumbledore continued. "It is for everyone's good and so that no more of these disappearances will happen. No student is allowed out of the castle after dark unless accompanied with a teacher. There will now be an earlier curfew; everyone is expected to be in their house common rooms by eight p.m. unless they have a signed letter from a teacher explaining their reasons for being out. We will continue with Quidditch, but all practices are to be overseen by Madame Hooch. Also," Dumbledore said, "the Head Boy, Head Girl, and prefects will no longer be doing their nightly corridor patrols; the teachers will take care of that. But I will discuss those matters with them at another time.

"There is more _good_ news, though…a surprise," Dumbledore said, and his smile returned. "The teachers and I, along with the Head Boy and Girl, have decided to do something different this holiday season." Dumbledore paused for a moment and everybody stared excitedly at him. There were a few whisperings but mostly everybody remained quiet.

"In light of recent events, we have decided that we need something to cheer us up and move us on from these attacks on the students. It will also be a sort of celebration of Trent Johnson's and Albert Harding's safe returns."

Again the Headmaster paused. Some of the students were practically falling off their seat because they were leaning forward so much, wanting to hear Dumbledore's every word. Ron and Hermione were receiving some questioning looks as well as some anxious questions, but they merely smiled and remained quiet.

"We have decided to throw a masquerade ball," Dumbledore stated. "A Christmas masquerade ball, that is." At once everyone in the hall started talking, not caring if they were interrupting Professor Dumbledore or not. Draco caught snitches of conversation, especially from the girls. They were already talking about what sort of costume they were going to wear. Draco stared incredulously at them. How can someone, after hearing about a ball not only thirty seconds earlier, be already talking about what to wear? Some of the guys seemed interested, but a lot of them seemed to dread the thought of another ball. Draco smirked.

"Settle down, now, settle down," Dumbledore said, waving his arm to gain attention. Everybody fell silent again. "The ball will take place on December the twenty-second since the trains to take students home for Christmas leave the next day. This is a masquerade ball, which means that everybody must wear a costume of their choosing. The point of this ball is to have fun and relax for the holidays; however, as it was with the Yule Ball during the Triwizard Tournament, only fourth years and above will be allowed to attend the ball."

There were many loud groans, especially from the girls, at this statement. The rest of the students still remained attentive though.

"I hope that all of you will have fun at the ball," Dumbledore said. "We will post more news on it as the date approaches." Dumbledore sat down and all the students started talking excitedly with each other. Draco wasn't sure what to think. For the Yule Ball he had gone with Pansy, but that was only because his father had made him. Surprisingly, there were no girls, at the moment anyway, that caught his eye. Sure, there were plenty of pretty ones, but Draco had already gone out with most of them; those relationships had never lasted more than a week.

Draco eventually ambled out of the hall and to his next class. He'd decide later on a girl to take to the ball. Right now, the thought that kept punching its way into his mind was of Christmas at Malfoy Manor. That day loomed before him ominously and he was worried that it wouldn't end well.

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**A/N:** So? What did you guys think? Was it good, bad…what? I tried to write a bit of a longer chapter since this story was neglected during November. Please take it as a peace offering, lol. Uh, yeah, please review.

Lauren


	14. Gryffindor vs Slytherin

Ach! I'm so sorry this took so long to post. I honestly do not have much time to get on the computer. Also, I've got a HUGE Biology test coming up that I really need to study for. But I made this chapter a bit longer, hoping to make up for the long break. Sorry!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of this.

**Chapter 14: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin**

Ginny stormed back and forth in her room. A flurry of emotions was spinning through her head and she was struggling to make sense of them all. The biggest thing that was on her mind, however, was what the school was saying about her. Lately rumors had started up, saying that she was the one responsible for the disappearances of the students. Ginny could hardly believe it, though something in the back of her mind told her she should've suspected it. Filch _had _caught her at the scene of the crime.

_That's no reason to suspect me,_ Ginny thought furiously. She couldn't really see how anybody could think that she was the kidnapper; she would never do anything like that. It was becoming difficult though. Many of the people in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were turning on her, people she had once called friends. Even a few Gryffindors seemed a little cooler to her than usual but none of them were openly nasty. Of course, the Slytherins always looked for any excuse to torment a Gryffindor; they were relishing this.

And then there was Draco. Ginny slapped her forehead and growled in frustration. What had he been thinking yesterday, helping her like he had? That was probably the dumbest thing he could have done. The feud between their families was infamous; what would people say if they knew they were working together? One day Draco was teasing her in the hallways and the next he was helping her. Honestly, that boy was worse than a girl with PMS.

Once that incident had taken place and everybody on the school grounds had played witness to it, the whole school found out. For the first night the rumors and cat-calls were terrible and Ginny spent most of the time in her room. She had been lucky, though, when Trent Johnson had been found. Obviously he was bigger news.

Ginny herself didn't know what had happened to the boy. All she could figure out was that he had been found in one of the boys' bathrooms and that he didn't remember anything. The memory charm told Ginny that the same person was behind the attacks…at least she thought so. The thing that puzzled her most was the condition in which Trent had been found. Purple hair and green skin? What was up with that?

Another thing that added to the stress of Ginny's life, but in a better way, was the upcoming Quidditch match: Slytherin vs. Gryffindor. Ginny had no doubt that Gryffindor would win. From what she had heard from Dean and Seamus, who had taken on the roles of Gryffindor spies, the Slytherin team wasn't much better than last year, mainly due to the fact that Crabbe and Goyle were still on it. She couldn't wait for tomorrow night.

Over the summer, Ginny had constantly been practicing Quidditch with Ron in their backyard; her dedication really showed when she was on the field. Harry had even complimented her on her skills, which had resulted in her blushing furiously. Thankfully, her beet-red face hadn't been too noticeable since everybody's faces were windblown and red.

Ginny sat down on her bed and sighed. Though she didn't know what her situation was with Harry, she knew that it wasn't improving. She chided herself for ever getting into this mess. She should have just left well enough alone but some things the heart just couldn't forget. It was the same thing with her conscience; she didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse. She liked to think it was a curse. Her conscience hadn't been leaving her alone ever since she first teamed up with Draco Malfoy.

She flopped backwards and let her feet hang over the edge of her bed. Why did life have to be so difficult?

* * *

Ginny woke bright and early the next morning; her blood was already pumping hard and her fingers tingled with excitement. Today was the day. Today was the day that she helped Gryffindor beat Slytherin and showed the whole school that she was a great Quidditch player.

She jumped out of bed and got dressed. There was no need to take a shower now; she'd just be all sweaty after the game. She braided her hair in a French braid that ran down her back and pulled her Quidditch robes on over her clothes. It was the end of November and it was freezing cold out but she only wore a sweater over her shirt. Even though she'd probably be cold flying around, she couldn't risk being too bulky or it would slow her down.

When Ginny went down the stairs into the Gryffindor common room, the first thing she noticed was the Creevey brothers. They were both sitting in chairs facing each other near the far side of the room and were staring out the window. Their small forms were frozen like statues and extremely nervous looks graced their faces. She stepped towards them uncertainly, trying to decide whether or not she should comfort them somehow, but a voice in her right ear stopped her.

"Don't worry about them," someone whispered into her ear. Ginny jumped to the side and took a deep breath when she only saw Seamus Finnigan standing beside her. He folded his arms and smiled at her; he was already in his Quidditch robes.

"They've been sitting like that for the past ten minutes. They're just nervous…they'll be fine," Seamus said in that thick Irish accent of his.

"Oh," Ginny said quietly, turning back to Collin and Dennis Creevey. Their hands were clasped together, holding on to each other as their minds silently went through who knows what. Seamus sat down on the couch facing the fire place and Ginny sat in one of the chairs. Besides the four of them, the common room was empty.

"Dean, Harry, and Ron are upstairs just finishing getting ready," Seamus said casually. "When they get down here, we're all supposed to go down to the Great Hall and get something to eat; so says Harry, anyway."

Ginny smiled. She had always liked Seamus; he had always been nice to her. Ginny couldn't help noticing either that he was very attractive…girls always went crazy over his accent.

Her thoughts were interrupted though by a clamoring from the boys' staircase. Looking wide awake and very excited, Dean came bouncing down the steps. He stopped when he reached the bottom, spun, and gave a very elaborate bow, coming to a halt with his right hand resting in a fist just under his left shoulder and his chin held high in the air.

"Make way for the heroes of Hogwarts," he announced in a clear voice. "Here we come to bring glory and honor to Gryffindors old and young, veterans of the House team and rookies alike. Slytherins beware because here come the Gryffindors!"

Ginny laughed at Dean's antics and he smiled widely, revealing two rows of perfectly straight white teeth. Harry came behind him, grinning brightly yet failing to hide the nervousness that showed in his eyes.

After Harry came Ron, stumbling down the stairs and trying to suppress a yawn. He tripped over the last step and came to a halt beside Dean, squinting at the brightness of the room.

"Don't see why you're so awake, Dean," Ron mumbled. "It's too early for anybody to be this cheery…"

"You better wake up, Ron," Seamus said. "The match is in an hour and we can't have our Keeper flying around on his broomstick _asleep."_

Ron's eyes opened widely and his face paled. "The game's today?" he gasped.

"Of course it is, Ron," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "What did you think you were doing when you put on your Quidditch robes this morning?"

Ron's head jerked downward as his eyes took in what he was wearing. He pulled at the robe and looked back up in shock.

"How did I get into these?" he asked, his voice becoming squeakier with every syllable. "I thought these were my regular robes…Why didn't you tell me the match was today?" he looked at Harry with a horrified expression on his face.

"Oh relax, Ron," Dean said, clapping him on the back. "You'll be fine. Now, the Creeveys, on the other hand, may not…" he trailed off as he looked at Collin and Dennis, who hadn't yet moved. He looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow. "Whad'ya reckon, Harry?"

Harry shook his head and walked over the Collin and Dennis. He said something to them, but Ginny couldn't hear it from the other side of the room. When neither Collin nor Dennis moved, he shook their shoulders, resulting in both brothers jumping out of their seats. Ginny could tell that he was talking to them because his lips were moving, but other than that she couldn't hear him.

After a moment, the three of them walked back towards the portrait where Ginny, Ron, Seamus, and Dean were standing. Collin and Dennis both looked calmer though there was still some doubt in their eyes.

"You'll be fine, Collin," she whispered to her friend as they exited through the Fat Lady's portrait. "I've seen you and your brother at practice. You have nothing to worry about, especially from the Slytherin Beaters. Crabbe and Goyle don't stand a chance."

"Thanks, Ginny," Collin smiled weakly at her.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team walked through the corridors and down the many stairs until they reached the Great Hall. It was still fairly early in the morning and there was hardly anybody there. There were only a few Ravenclaws and a teacher or two. However, all of the Slytherin team was sitting at their House table. Ginny glanced at Draco who stared moodily at her. She raised her head higher and followed the rest of her teammates to the table and sat down next to her brother.

Grabbing her plate, she piled some eggs and potatoes onto it and filled her goblet with pumpkin juice. Beside her, Ron was staring at his plate with wide eyes.

"You know, Ron," Ginny said, leaning towards him, "you have to physically put food on there. It doesn't just appear by staring at it."

"I know that," Ron snapped back. He shakily grabbed a piece of toast and started spreading marmalade onto it. Seamus was sitting across from her and raised an eyebrow at her but Ginny just shrugged and went back to eating. Her mind flitted over to the Slytherin table; she could sense a pair of eyes on her. She turned around and looked that way but only saw the seven Slytherins on their Quidditch team hunched together and whispering. Well, make that five Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle were busy stuffing their faces with doughnuts.

Soon, the Great Hall started filling up as more and more students filed their way into the room. Abruptly Harry stood and nodded his head for his teammates to follow. Ginny rose with everybody else and cheers broke out from the Gryffindors in the room; all of the Slytherins booed and hissed as they walked by.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team trudged through the snow until they reached the locker rooms down by the pitch. It was a half hour until the game started and they were all nervous now. Ginny got out her new broom, which she had gotten for her birthday, and sat down. Collin, Dennis, Ron, Seamus, and Dean all sat as well, but Harry remained standing. He paced the room a few times but then stopped, his hands clasped behind his back.

"We've been practicing hard for this," Harry said. "Since the school year began, we've been training for this." He looked up and his eyes met that of every one of his teammates. "I know all of us are nervous, but we should be. If we weren't, then this game wouldn't be anything because nothing is worth fighting for that you aren't passionate about. But the Slytherins are nothing! We've been training harder for this than they have and we deserve this game. This is a chance for us to get higher up in the ranking for the Cup. If we win this then we are automatically in the lead."

"So no pressure, right?" Seamus asked.

Harry smiled and nodded. "Something like that," he said. "Let's just all have fun though, okay? It doesn't matter if we win or lose, but let's have fun."

"But winning would still be nice, right?" Dean asked, grinning.

"Something like that," Ginny said, smiling at him. Harry glanced at her but looked away quickly.

For the next twenty minutes or so, the Gryffindor Quidditch team sat silently in the locker rooms. They could hear the booms of many feet above them as the students clambered into the stands. Ginny's heart rate slowly yet steadily rose until she thought everybody could hear it her heart thumping against her chest. Her hands were cold and she tried rubbing them to get some warmth back into them. She gave up though at the squirming in her stomach.

Soon, a voice came over the loudspeaker; since Lee Jordan's last year at school, a fifth year Gryffindor boy, Jacob Smith, had taken his place as announcer. Jacob's magically magnified voice boomed over the loudspeaker.

"Welcome to the first game of the year!" he shouted, and every person out there roared and cheered with excitement before Smith continued. "Here are the Slytherins! Alan Howry, Blaise Zabini, and Aidan Tulson are this years Chasers, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle still as the Slytherin Beaters, Warren Quinn as Keeper, and Draco Malfoy is playing Seeker!" When Smith announced the Slytherin team, many cheers rose from the Slytherin stands. Ginny could hear their roars from in the locker room and she gulped slightly. Mixed in with the cheers were boos from the Gryffindors as well.

"It's time," Harry said. With Harry in the rear, everybody lined up in front of the door that led to the pitch.

"And here come the Gryffindors!" shouted Smith from the stands as the door to the locker room swung open and the players zoomed out onto the field on their brooms. "Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Ginny Weasley as the Chasers, brothers Collin and Dennis Creevey as the Beaters, Ron Weasley is playing the Keeper, and Harry Potter is still the Seeker!"

The Gryffindor fans whistled and stomped their feet, causing the stands to shudder under the weight. Their cheers drowned out the boos from the Slytherins.

Ginny and her team, Dean Thomas leading, circled the pitch once and came to a stop in a straight line on one side of the pitch, facing the other side where the Slytherins rested just five feet above the ground.

Madame Hooch stood in the center of the field with a small trunk at her feet. She blew her whistle and said through her also magnified voice, "Team captains come forward and shake hands."

Harry flew towards the center of the pitch and hovered above Madame Hooch. Draco flew forward as well until they were only a few feet apart. Harry stuck out his hand and Draco gripped it. It was obvious even to Ginny that both Harry and Draco were trying to crush each other's hand. She rolled her eyes and thought, _Boys…_

After a few seconds they let go and flew back to their awaiting teammates. Within moments, Madame Hooch blew her whistle and released the balls from the trunk that held them. Ginny's eyes immediately focused on the Quaffle and she raced forwards at the same time Harry flew straight up to watch for the Snitch.

The game had begun.

* * *

An hour into the game, Ginny started to grow frustrated. So far, nobody had scored and the Snitch was nowhere in sight. Ginny hovered thirty feet in front of Ron who was guarding the posts; Blaise Zabini was zooming towards her carrying the Quaffle with Dean and Seamus flying furiously behind him.

As Zabini approached, Ginny raced forward and punched the Quaffle out of his right arm, swooping below him and towards the Slytherin goal posts where their Keeper, Warren Quinn, was waiting. She heard Zabini curse as he swished around and zoomed after her.

Ginny glanced over her shoulder and noticed Zabini gaining on her; then Seamus appeared at her right and she tossed him the Quaffle.

"After a fantastic steal from Blaise Zabini, Ginny Weasley passes the Quaffle to Seamus Finnigan, a rookie to this year's Gryffindor team. And my, look at them go!" shouted Jacob Smith's voice across the stadium. Ginny wasn't paying too much attention to the commentary because another Slytherin Chaser, Aidan Tulson, was coming forward to meet them.

Ginny guarded Seamus's left side as they flew closer and closer but a Bludger came roaring towards them and flew right in between Ginny and Seamus. The young Gryffindor girl rose higher in the air and flew some twenty feet above Seamus as he dodged another Bludger sent by Crabbe. This would be a perfect time to try one of their new moves.

"Seamus! Number three!" Ginny screamed down at him. Ginny grabbed the Quaffle as Seamus passed it up towards her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that Zabini was still trailing her. She rose higher to dodge a Bludger that was aiming for her head and saw that Zabini still was following her. Seamus and Dean were flying much further ahead of her now, along with the remaining two Slytherin Chasers, trying to make way for her as she approached the goal posts. _Time to put the play into action,_ Ginny thought.

Without warning and without stopping, Ginny forced her broom to fall straight downward; at the speed she was flying at, the movement caused the back end of her broom to rear up and she did a full 360 degree turn, just as she had been practicing.

Zabini was so caught off guard that he kept flying straight before he realized that Ginny was below him. Angrily, he flew downwards and tried to catch up to Ginny, but it was too late.

"Ginny Weasley performs a spectacular new move that I haven't heard of and…GRYFFINDOR SCORES!" Smith shouted over the loudspeaker. "Finally there are some points on the board!"

Ginny grinned as she turned around and flew away from the Slytherin goal posts, leaving a scowling Warren Quinn behind. Dean paused for a moment to high-five Ginny; Seamus was already racing after the Slytherin Chaser Alan Howry, who already had the Quaffle.

"Nice move, Ginny!" Dean shouted; then the two of them flew after Seamus, Ginny grinning from ear to ear.

A half hour later, the score was tied at 50-50. Ginny was flying so close to Aidan Tulson that their knees were knocking together. They were almost to the Gryffindor posts and Ginny could see Ron's face clearly, determination sketched across it. She gritted her teeth and tried to steal the Quaffle from Tulson but with a spurt of speed, he shot ahead of her. A Bludger whistled straight in front of him and he pulled his broom up short to avoid hitting it; the motion caused him to lose his grip on the Quaffle, which started plummeting to the ground.

Ginny fell after it and within seconds, she had the ball in her hands. She turned around and headed back towards the Slytherin posts. As she was about to pass the ball off to Dean, a Bludger barreled into her outstretched hand and grazed the edge of it. The Quaffle tumbled from her hand and Ginny clasped it in pain. She could tell that her wrist wasn't broken, but she knew that it would be badly bruised by that night.

She looked up and saw Goyle sitting on a broomstick not thirty feet away, a dopey grin plastered on his face at the knowledge that he had actually done something right. Then another Bludger collided with his club and the object went sailing towards the ground. Ginny looked to her left and saw Collin grinning at her. Ginny returned the smile and darted forward again on her broom.

Dean had caught the Quaffle when it had fallen from Ginny and was sandwiched in between Aidan Tulson and Blaise Zabini. He passed the Quaffle over his shoulder to Seamus who escaped from Alan Howry and raced towards the goal posts.

He lobbed the ball through the far left post and Jacob Smith screamed "GRYFFINDOR SCORES AGAIN! Seamus Finnigan scores his second goal of the day!"

The Gryffindor fans screamed and howled their delight, powerfully drowning out the Slytherins who booed. Ginny was pumping her fist into the air when something shiny zipped in front of her, hovering slightly in the air. It was the Snitch.

Ginny looked around and spotted Harry far above her and to her right; Draco was below her and to her left. She debated for a moment on who would get there first if she shouted for Harry, but decided to go for it.

"Harry!" she screeched at the top of her lungs. Harry turned in the air, a questioning look on his face. Then he saw the Snitch and raced towards it as Ginny moved out of the way. Harry was a far ways off and Draco had also her heard; it seemed as if the whole stadium had heard her.

"It looks like Harry may have seen the Snitch," Smith commented, "but wait! It looks as if Malfoy saw it too! It'll be a race to see who gets there first now…"

A hush fell over the entire pitch as the two Seekers raced towards the motionless Snitch, one from above and one from below. To Ginny, it looked as if Draco might have had a slight lead, but she couldn't tell for sure. Then Harry rocketed forward and snatched the Snitch from the air and zoomed straight over Malfoy who got there at the same time.

"GRYFFINDOR WINS!" roared Smith and the Gryffindors erupted in wild cheers.

Harry, grinning, held his hand high in the air, the fluttering Snitch still trapped within it. Along with her fellow teammates, Ginny flew towards Harry and they all surrounded him. Ron started thumping him on the back and Dean was shaking his shoulders in happiness. Ginny glanced around and saw Malfoy hovering in the distance, a look of disappointment on his face. Then he scowled and turned around, sulkily heading towards the ground.

As one big ball of Gryffindors, the team slowly made their way to the ground. A mob of Gryffindor fans was racing onto the field and before they knew it, the whole Gryffindor team was picked up and held in the air by their admirers.

"Party in the common room!" someone shouted.

"The Cup will be ours this year!" said another.

Ginny felt high on the euphoria of the victory and clasped her broom to her. This was a day that she wouldn't forget for quite a while.

* * *

That night there _was_ a party in the Gryffindor common room. It started when everybody got back to the castle and didn't end until Professor McGonagall, whom Hermione had fetched in irritation, came and sent everybody to bed. Ginny had gone upstairs hours earlier however; after Seamus and Dean (whom Ginny suspected had had too much butterbeer) started making the couches fly through the air, she decided that enough was enough.

Throughout the next day Ginny had to listen to the other girls in her year talking about the upcoming ball. Ginny herself didn't quite know what to think. At the Yule Ball in her third year, she had only gone because Neville had asked her and she wasn't sure she wanted to repeat the experience; her toes had sustained quite a beating last time she danced with him.

Also, who would ask her to go? Ginny didn't like the idea of asking a guy herself; she thought it was the guy's job to do the asking. Call it old-fashioned, but that's what she liked. And at the moment, the only guy she really considered going with was Harry, and that was certainly out of the question. Perhaps she would go and perhaps she wouldn't. If a boy asked her, however, it might be a good chance to try and get over Harry.

Ginny shrugged her shoulders and tried pushing the thought from her mind. At the moment, she was still more concerned about finding some way to prove that Draco Malfoy was guilty. She figured it must be him because who else hated mudbloods such as he did? The only problem was that Malfoy seemed to be very good at ignoring the school's accusations of him. He even appeared innocent at times, but Ginny knew better.

Her anger and irritation at him bubbled within her. He thought he was so wonderful, he thought that the school would just forget their suspicions of him. Well, she would show him wrong. He was up to something.

Especially that one night he had just left her in that tunnel underground. It was his idea to go down there in the first place and he must've known she would get caught. He was probably even the one that led Filch down there somehow. Then he had run so that Filch would find only Ginny; that was what had started the rumors. Maybe he was trying to frame her. And then his stunt the other day, pretending to help her like that…then the rumors had really started flying around.

She sat down and pulled out a piece of parchment and some ink. It was time that she and Malfoy had a talk.

* * *

The next morning in the Great Hall, Ginny was bent low over her bacon and eggs. She watched intently as the morning mail came flying in and a small letter landed in Draco's lap. He unfolded it and scanned it quickly. Then his eyes darted towards the Gryffindor table and met Ginny's. He glanced down at his hands and then back up, almost as if he was confused. Then he crumpled Ginny's letter into a ball and stuffed it in his robes.

Ginny smiled quietly and began eating her food again. Tonight she would make sure that Malfoy wasn't up to any funny business.

* * *

That night, at fifteen minutes till midnight, Ginny crept out of the Gryffindor tower. One thing that she disliked was the walk from her common room all the way to the Astrology tower; it was on the completely opposite side of the castle.

Ginny took the stairs two at a time, making sure to hop over all of the trick steps. By now her feet knew by instinct which steps to avoid; she had learned the hard way which steps those were.

When Ginny got to the tower, the dark room loomed before her; the door to the room was cracked open. There was an open window to her left and the stone wall of the castle to her right. She paused before pushing open the door and took a deep breath; then she stepped inside. The Astrology tower was cold and seemed dreary to Ginny. There was a large window, half-moon window near the ceiling of the room and moonlight spilled in, streaming across the floor in gentle waves.

Sighing, Ginny scraped back one of the chairs and plopped into it. She folded her elbows onto the table that stood before her chair and rested her chin on them. She didn't know why, but depression seemed to be rolling upon her like a fog. What was wrong with her? All she had come here to do was to tell Malfoy off and make sure that there was nothing going on. So why did it seem as if everything was wrong?

_What's _wrong_ with me?_ Ginny asked herself. _You're just here to do some business, nothing wrong with that._ Was it her guilt? Ginny did feel guilty, but she couldn't believe that her conscience would be bowling over her this ferociously.

A creak in the doorway caused Ginny to look up. Standing there, with his hands in his cloak pockets, was Draco Malfoy.

"What do you want?" he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm here; now what do you want?"

"I just want to talk," Ginny said, simply. Where was her fire? Where was the steely rage that had been burning within her only earlier that day? Why did she now feel humble and meek? Ginny continued to stare at Malfoy, trying to find the right words.

"Talk about…?" Draco said with a rare, blank look on his face. Ginny could read no emotions in his eyes, not even scorn.

_Buck up, Ginny_, she told herself. _It's just Malfoy._

"What are you up to?" she asked sharply, though not with as much determination as she would've liked.

"What are you talking about, Weasley?" Draco sighed, rolling his eyes. "What do you mean, what am I up to?"

"What are you up to?" Ginny asked darkly. "What kind of stunt were you pulling the other day? Why did you help me? The whole school already thought that I was guilty; it's not going to take them long to piece together their hate for both of us with that little incident outside."

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Weasley," Draco sneered, walking into the room and sitting across from Ginny. He leaned back in the seat and propped his legs on the table. His sheer relaxation and coolness irked Ginny to her bones.

Gritting her teeth, she said, "The only thing that I want to twist, Malfoy, is your neck. You've gotten me into so much trouble not only over the past month or so, but ever since I met you!" Ginny's hands shook with her long-forgotten anger that was returning at full speed. "You're an insufferable, conceited, lazy, selfish, good-for-nothing pig who only cares about himself!"

"Ooh, temper, temper, Weasley," Draco said, amusement clearly written across his face. He put his hand on his chin and pretended to be thinking hard. "Now, from what I gather, you seem to think that I somehow got you into trouble. By all means, please enlighten me." Draco held his hands in front of him, beckoning Ginny to speak.

"Well let's see," Ginny said in mock thoughtfulness. "First you drag me down into that tunnel searching for clues and then leave me there for Filch to find while you run off like a coward. Second, you humiliated me in front of the whole school the other day. What were you thinking?"

"If I remember correctly, I was helping you," Draco pointed out, irritation just barely laced in his words. "I wouldn't call that getting you into trouble."

"Ugh," Ginny shivered with displeasure. "Since when does a Malfoy _ever_ help a Weasley?"

"Since when does a Weasley help a Malfoy?" Draco said defiantly, his cool gray eyes boring into Ginny's brown ones. She sat back, never breaking the eye contact. Her mouth twitched as she tried to find a good comeback, but none sprang to mind.

Finally she looked away, unable to stare into his eyes any longer. Eyes that were gray like the moonlight that filled the room…._Ginny! What are you thinking? Concentrate here!_ Horror flooded Ginny's mind at what she had almost thought. An unwanted blush crept up her neck, but Ginny didn't think it was too noticeable.

"I was just trying to do the right thing," Ginny lied. "I suppose that's something foreign to you though…doing the right thing."

"What?" Draco asked outrageously. "Why is it so hard for you to think that I can't do anything nice?"

"Are you kidding me?" Ginny screeched. "You've always done everything in your power to make everybody else as miserable as possible! That's what you do!"

"I helped you and all you can do is insult me…" Draco said, shaking his head. "I don't know why I even bother."

"Oh shut up, Malfoy," Ginny snapped at him. "Get down off your high horse and stop acting like it's all about you."

"Of course this is all about me," Draco said incredulously. "That's why we're here in the first place! You offered to help me, and I foolishly agreed."

"That's right," Ginny said. "_I_ helped _you,_ and now you're turning the whole school against me! Everybody used to like me, and now they think I'm…they think that I'm…like…" Ginny trailed off, unsure if she should continue.

"Like me?" Draco said, his eyebrows raised.

"Yes," she said defiantly, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "But I suppose that's what happens when I hang around someone like you."

"Someone like what?" Draco said quietly through clenched teeth. Ginny knew she was treading on thin ice when a Malfoy got overly irate, but her own anger was clouding her better judgment at the moment. She stood up to seem more impressive and continued.

"Someone who's a Death Eater," she said quietly though her voice never quavered. Draco's mouth twitched as a ferocious look crept up his face. His eyes became hard and cold, his jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. He stood slowly and came towards Ginny.

"Everybody knows you're a Death Eater," she continued saying, though her brain was telling her to shut up and pull out her wand, that Draco Malfoy was about to murder her right there in the castle. "You're just like your father; you only care about yourself and what will get you the most in life," Ginny said while backing slowly away.

Draco came from around the table, his eyes boring holes into Ginny's as a fire raged within them. His hands were clenched in fists at his side and fear slowly started to seep throughout Ginny. What had she been thinking? She had let that Weasley temper get a hold of her and run off with her sense; now she was going to have to pay the price.

She whipped out her wand as Draco closed the distance between them. He towered above her, staring down upon her intently. Ginny hated that she had to look up at him, that she seemed so small and defenseless next to him, but he was much taller, bigger, and stronger than she was.

Only about two inches of space rested between Ginny's and Draco's bodies, and she glanced nervously to her left and right, trying to find any way that she could escape.

"Don't come any nearer, Malfoy," she threatened, trying to shove her wand in between the two of them and get a clear shot at Malfoy. "I'll curse you; don't think I won't."

Ignoring her, Draco leaned forward and said, his voice hot on Ginny's face, "I'm. Not. A Death Eater." Though his voice was quiet, Ginny could hear the malice coursing through his every word.

She refused to acknowledge him and said, "I mean it Malfoy, I'll curse you."

Draco merely looked at her and after a moment, a small smirk found its way across his face. "Whatever, Weasley," he said. His eyes roamed her face for a minute before he turned abruptly and strode out of the room, his cloak swishing behind him.

Ginny let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and closed her eyes, leaning against the cold stone wall. She had been so stupid to anger Malfoy; she knew how dangerous he could be. She shook her head wearily and stuck her wand back in her robe pocket.

The moon was visible through the window as Ginny hurried out of the Astrology tower and back to Gryffindor House.

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**A/N**: There! Hope you guys like it! The "Get down off your high horse" line...My biology teacher actually said that to me (among other things) and I couldn't resist putting it in here. lol Well, please leave a review and let me know how you like it! You guys are awesome!

Lauren


	15. Goodnight

Ok, I'm really really sorry for the super long wait. All I can say is that I had the worst case of writer's block ever. That and the holidays are hectic. But here's chapter 15. Enjoy! Oh, and I do a lot of jumping back and forth between Draco's and Ginny's POV in this chapter. That was a side-effect of getting over the writer's block.

disclaimerI do not own Harry Potter./disclaimer

**Chapter 15: Goodnight**

Ginny bit her nails nervously as she headed back to Gryffindor tower. Mixed emotions were running through her though the most prominent feeling was relief. She had been lucky to escape in one piece after she had angered Malfoy like that. She still didn't know what had made her say those things to him; she knew he was dangerous. Another familiar feeling that was fluttering in her stomach was guilt. Why did she feel the need to…to what? She wasn't picking on Malfoy or teasing him. But something just didn't seem right. Ginny knew that Draco was a self-centered jerk who was emotionally challenged, but she still didn't think what she was doing to him was right. She had never been one to lead a person on with false pretenses…even if it _was_ Draco Malfoy.

A clanking sound to Ginny's right made the young Gryffindor girl jump away, her heart pounding. Could Draco possibly be hiding for her, waiting to get revenge? She peered forward cautiously and breathed a sigh of relief when she only saw Mrs. Norris's yellow eyes staring at her from behind a suit of armor. Ginny had never been happy to see Filch's cat before now, but at the moment anything would've been more welcome than a certain irate, blonde-haired Slytherin seventh year.

Ginny hurried past the cat and up the few remaining staircases until she reached the portrait of the fat lady. The lady's eyes were closed and a few snores escaped from her mouth. Ginny poked her and the fat lady woke up, grumbling and eyeing Ginny with distaste.

"What are you doing out so late?" she accused sleepily.

"Mugwormp's root," Ginny said, ignoring the portrait's inquiry. The fat lady, closing her eyes again, swung open and Ginny scrambled through the opening.

When she got into the common room, she peered around cautiously to see if anybody was there. Other than a few dull coals that were glowing in the fireplace, the room was empty. Ginny sighed and started up the girls' staircase, welcoming the sleep that would numb her of the many worries that plagued her mind.

* * *

Draco pounded out of the castle and into the cold December night. He closed his eyes as he stood at the top of the stairs that overlooked the school grounds and let the wind wash away all feeling. The moon was very bright that night and it reflected off the snow, creating a surreal feel. A few of the trees near the Forbidden Forest swayed slightly but other than that, the night was still.

The calming nature of the night failed to stifle Draco's emotions completely. How dare that weasel accuse him of being a Death Eater? He could think of no worse insult somebody could say to him. They could say that he was heartless and mean, but a Death Eater? He had felt like wringing Weasley's neck after she had said that to him; he still did. But he knew he'd probably be expelled if he killed her, and then he'd have to go home to his father. Anything was better than that. Besides, he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to kill Weasley; she _was_ helping him clear his name. Draco snorted. _Fat lot of help she is._

Draco slowly descended the stone steps and sat on the bottom one, his hands in his pockets. His heart rate was steadily slowing down and his temper was ebbing away. He still hated Weasley's guts, but he no longer felt like marching back into the castle and murdering the whole Weasley clan.

Now the question was, what next? What would he do now? He didn't know if he'd be willing to accept any help from Ginny; that is, if she was still willing to give it. The school was still talking about Trent Johnson and Albert Harding, but everybody was still just as confused. A few students had approached Johnson and asked him if Draco had done it. The boy had just stared blankly at them and walked on.

Another thing that bothered him was his upcoming Christmas. He had never before wanted to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays, but this year he was envying those who were able to remain. His life was already tough with his father; add Voldemort to the mix and Draco was as good as finished.

He shook his head at the irony of it all. Everybody thought him to be buddy-buddy with Voldemort but it was really the opposite; Draco wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

Draco remained seated there, staring into the snow-lit night, for quite some time. Eventually he stood up and stiffly walked back into the castle.

* * *

The next morning, Tuesday, Ginny kept nodding off in class. _I suppose all these late-night rendezvous are getting to me,_ she thought during Transfiguration. She stared blurrily as McGonagall assigned them an essay and then dismissed them for lunch.

Ginny sighed as she stumbled through the crowded hallways towards the Great Hall. She bumped shoulders with a few people, resulting in them giving her a stern look, but she really didn't care.

When she entered the Great Hall, she plopped down in a seat and stared at her plate, blinking, before she put a small helping of potatoes on it.

"Is something the matter, Ginny," asked Hermione, who was sitting next to her. "You seem a little down."

"Nothing's wrong," Ginny said, plastering a fake, if somewhat small, smile on her face. "It's just all this homework the teachers are giving us is getting to me. That's all."

"Oh," Hermione said, brightening up at the mention of homework. "I don't think it's too much at all, really," she said. "And you'll need to know all this stuff for the N.E.W.T.S. next year. It's really important, you know."

"Yes, I've heard all this before," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "I do my homework. It's Ron and Harry that you need to explain this to."

"I've told them a million times," Hermione said, shaking her head. "They just don't seem to listen. But they'll regret it when the N.E.W.T.S. come around and they're not prepared."

Ginny continued eating her meal in silence while listening to Hermione ramble on about the importance of studying and diligence. An image of Mad-Eye Moody popped into Ginny's head and she smiled.

"What are you on about now, Hermione?" Ron asked as he, Harry, Dean, and Seamus came up to the table and sat down.

"I'm just explaining to Ginny how all the work the teachers are giving her is for her own good," Hermione said, looking across the table at Ron. Harry sat down next to Ron while Seamus sat next to Ginny; Dean sat on the other side of Seamus.

"Don't listen to her, Gin," Ron said, a pretend, horrified look spreading over his face. "She'll brainwash you…"

Dean snorted into his pumpkin juice but when Hermione sent a death glare towards Ron, he shut up. Ron's grin slipped off his face and he shrank in his seat.

"Oh, come on Hermione…you know I was just kidding," he squeaked nervously. "You know that we know that study is important. You've only told us every day of our lives."

"Honestly, Ronald, I don't see how you can be so inconsiderate sometimes," Hermione said, shoving her plate back and standing up. "I was only trying to help." After one last stern look at Ron, Hermione stalked out of the Great Hall.

Ginny looked at Ron and sighed loudly to express her exasperation.

"What?" Ron asked.

* * *

Draco watched with amusement from the Slytherin table as Hermione Granger stomped out of the Great Hall furiously. He rolled his eyes as he watched Ginny and Ron Weasley start an argument of which he couldn't hear, but could guess the topic.

"So, Draco," Pansy cooed from next to him. She slipped her hand casually onto Draco's lap and started massaging it. "Do you want to go to the ball with me? I already have our costumes picked out."

Draco flicked Pansy's hand off of him and replied, "Pansy, I do not want to go to the ball with you. In fact, I never want you to speak to me again. So just leave me alone and find somebody else to annoy."

Draco turned his back to Pansy and tried to start a conversation with Blaise, but Pansy scooted herself in between them, shoving Blaise backwards. She looked up at Draco and fluttered her eyelashes, twirling a strand of her hair in her fingers.

"Silly Draco, you don't really mean that," she said in a high-pitched, girly voice that disgustingly reminded Draco of Dolores Umbridge. "I know that you love me. We were _meant_ to be together." She placed her hands around Draco and buried her face in his neck. "You don't have to hide your feelings for me anymore."

Draco stared down at Pansy's hair with his eyes wide in disbelief. Who did this girl think she was? _She's delusional,_ Draco thought.

"Are you finished?" he asked, not even trying to mask the menace in his voice. Pansy nodded and moved her hands to Draco's hair, trying to massage his scalp, but Draco leapt up from the seat as if he were on fire.

"Nobody touches my hair," he snarled at her. He grabbed a spoon and peered into it, moving the spoon around to see all of his hair. He pushed a few stray strands back in place and smoothed out his robes. "Let me make something clear to you, Parkinson," Draco drawled. "I hate you, plain and simple. I never liked you and I never will. So don't come near me again or I'll curse you."

With that said, Draco sauntered out of the Great Hall. As he passed the Gryffindor table, he heard Ginny shouting at her brother, "You're being a jerk, Ron! Just grow up!" He smirked as he saw an angry-looking Ron rise out of his seat and start to berate his sister. Ginny wasn't listening though. She turned around and stalked right past Draco; he didn't think she even saw him. Ron sank back into his seat and folded his arms, staring at Ginny's empty seat with a half-pout, half-scowl on his face.

Draco rolled his eyes and exited the Great Hall. All of the halls were empty and he raised an eyebrow. _Weasley's fast,_ he thought. His stomach rumbled as he headed towards the Slytherin common room. _Maybe I should've eaten something_, thought Draco. He paused and thought for a moment. _I could just go to the kitchens and get something to eat. Yes, I'll do that. There's no stupid Pansy there to bug me._

Draco turned off from the hallway that led to the Slytherin house and headed down a long corridor, at the end of which was a portrait of a bowl of fruit. When he approached the painting, he stuck out his hand and tickled the pear, which started giggling madly. The painting swung forward and Draco stepped inside.

Inside the kitchens of Hogwarts were many house elves bustling about. Some were carrying platters piled high with food, some were carrying stacks of clean plates, some were sporting a mop and broom, and others were standing about tables and chopping up different foods.

There was a large fireplace that was built into a stone pillar that started from the floor in the middle of the room and rose to the ceiling. Several black pots were hanging over the fire and steam was rising from them.

As soon as Draco was spotted by the house elves, he was surrounded by them.

"What can we do for you?"

"What would Sir like?"

"How may we help?"

Draco smirked arrogantly as he saw all of the servants clamoring around him and trying to please him. _As it should be,_ he thought.

"You, Elf," Draco pointed to a small house elf to his left, "get me a glass of butterbeer. And you get me some biscuits." Draco said, giving another elf a shove as it scurried off.

"Stop it," called a voice from behind him. "You can't just order them around like that."

Draco turned slowly and came face to face with Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley. Hermione was standing before him with her hands on her hips and a defiant look on her face. Ginny was sitting at a table further back and nibbling on a pumpkin pasty, closely watching the exchange between the two students.

"Well, Granger," Draco said, a smirk forming on his lips, "I think I just did. Besides, who are you to tell me what to do? You're just a mudblood."

Hermione looked like she was about to retaliate but decided not too. She turned and walked back to the table where Ginny was sitting. She sat beside her friend and took a sip of a drink she was holding. Draco watched the two girls for a moment, but then a house elf timidly approached him, carrying a plate full of fluffy biscuits and a goblet of butterbeer.

"Here you are, Master Malfoy," the elf said, bowing his head as he handed the food to Draco.

"Wait a minute...I know that voice," Draco mused, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the house elf. The elf looked up and Draco was met with two large, green eyes and oversize ears. "Dobby?" he asked as he eyed the pink and orange mittens that the elf was wearing. A bright blue scarf was wound around his neck and the elf started fingering it nervously.

"Yes, Master Malfoy?" Dobby asked. His other hand was twitching at his side and the fear in his eyes was obvious.

"Father told me you were working here," Draco sneered, his eyes dancing with laughter at Dobby's outfit. "Now get me something sweet."

"Yes, Master Malfoy," squeaked Dobby as he bounded away and out of sight. Draco smirked and turned around; two sets of eyes were watching him carefully. Draco rolled his eyes at Ginny and Hermione and sat down at a different table.

Soon Dobby came trotting back to him, carrying a plate filled with an assortment of sweets. The elf halted at Draco's feet but tripped and fell face forward; the plate and all its contents went spinning away across the floor. Dobby cringed as he rested on his hands and knees. Slowly he stood, his whole body shaking.

Then, without warning, Dobby threw himself towards an oven and ripped open the door. He stuck his head in the oven door opening and started slamming the door on his face. Hermione and Ginny leapt forwards with cries of alarm as Draco just watched in amusement. Ginny opened the oven door as Hermione pulled Dobby's head out of the oven and held him back as the elf groped for the oven again.

"Dobby was bad," the elf moaned. "Dobby _must_ punish himself, Miss Granger. I have disappointed Master Malfoy and I must punish myself."

"Listen, Dobby," Ginny said, bending down and staring the elf in the eyes, "Malfoy's not your master anymore. You don't have to let him boss you around."

"And you certainly don't have to hurt yourself," Hermione said gently. "You are a free elf."

Dobby's eyes quickly darted towards Draco, then to the oven, and then back to Hermione and Ginny. His mouth twitched with fear briefly before he nodded his head with a sigh.

"You are both right," Dobby said dejectedly. "Harry Potter has told me time and time again not to hurt myself."

"And he's right," Ginny said, patting Dobby on the shoulder. "You aren't a servant anymore. You are an employee of Albus Dumbledore and he's the only one you have to listen to."

"You are right," Dobby said, perking up. "Dumbledore is a great man. I won't listen to – to _him_ anymore." Dobby shrank away from where Draco was sitting and bowed once again at Hermione and Ginny. "Thank you, misses, for your help. If there is anything you need, just ask."

Having said that, Dobby scooted back into the throng of house else and was soon out of sight. Hermione gave Ginny a look and the two of them turned and faced Draco, their arms folded across their chests.

"What?" Draco asked from his seat. The two girls continued to stare silently at him. "Oh come on, I wasn't going to hurt him," Draco continued.

Ginny looked at Hermione with raised eyebrows and they both turned and stalked out of the kitchens. Draco rolled his eyes at their retreating forms and muttered, "Girls…"

* * *

Ginny and Hermione walked through the hallways that were quickly filling with other students.

"Like I was saying before we were interrupted by Malfoy slime," Ginny said, "don't worry about Ron. I talked to him – well, actually I argued with him and I don't think we'll be speaking for a while, but he was just being his usual, hot-headed self."

"That makes two of us who won't be talking to him," Hermione said. "He always does this. All I try to do is help and he practically bites my head off."

"And yet we love him," Ginny said, sighing. "Honestly we should have just dumped that boy years ago," she said in a fake, girly voice. Ginny glanced at Hermione out of the corner of her eyes and saw a small grin form on her face. Ginny smiled and pulled Hermione into a hug.

"Don't worry about Ron," she said. "He'll straighten out in the end."

"I suppose you're right," Hermione replied. "Reckon we should give him the silent treatment until then?"

"Of course," Ginny said. "He only deserves the best, right?"

"Right."

* * *

That evening in the Gryffindor common room, Ginny was trying to do her Transfiguration homework. So far she had been doing a pretty good job of ignoring her guilt over Draco, but it was still there. Should she apologize to him? Just ignore him altogether? The latter was preferable but the former was practical. If she had any hopes of snagging Harry, then proving Draco guilty was her only chance. And there was no way for her to do that unless she was working with him. And there was no way of _that_ happening unless they were on good terms.

Ginny sighed and threw her quill down. _Now you_ have _to apologize,_ Ginny thought. _Brilliant, Ginny. Simply brilliant._ She pulled out a spare piece of parchment and wrote on the corner of it:

_Be in the Astrology tower at midnight._

She ripped off the corner of parchment that had her writing on it and glanced around her. Harry and Ron were in the corner of the room worrying over some Potions essay that was due the next day. Hermione had already gone to bed and there were only a few fifth years left that were playing Exploding Snap near the fire.

Carefully she scooted towards the portrait hole and with one last look back, she hurried through it. There were only a few students in the hallway since there were only twenty minutes left until curfew. If she hurried, she could get to the owlry and back and she wouldn't be in any trouble.

Ginny sprinted through the hallways; a few people turned to look at her as she shot past them. A few of the portraits also muttered at her as she flew by.

As she neared the owlry, she slowed to a walk to catch her breath. Her side ached but she ignored it and scanned the rows of sleeping owls. She called a small, brown one down to her and quickly tied the letter to its leg. The owl snapped at her hand irritably and flew off.

Ginny paused for a moment and watched it fly away before she took off back towards Gryffindor house. She got back with just minutes to spare before curfew started. Nobody even noticed that she had been gone.

* * *

Draco was sitting at the edge of his bed reading the letter he had just received. So Weasley wanted to meet him again? He contemplated showing up; it would serve her right if he ignored the letter altogether. What could she possibly want, anyway?

Nevertheless, at midnight Draco found himself wandering through the cold, dark hallways of Hogwarts towards the Astrology tower. _I'll still be late and make her wait,_ Draco assured himself. _I don't have to be completely complacent._

When Draco entered the Astrology tower, Ginny was sitting in her usual chair at the table. Draco stood in the doorway and folded his arms.

"What do you want?" he sneered at her.

Ginny shifted in her seat and looked anywhere but at Draco. There was no fire lit this time, no candles lighting the room. There was little moonlight in the room, causing Ginny to be in the shadows.

"I just wanted to…to say that – that I'm – that, that I'm…I just wanted to say that I'm…" Ginny stuttered, still not looking at Draco.

"Well come on, I don't have all night, Weasley," Draco said impatiently. He tapped his foot on the ground and watched Ginny squirm in her seat. "Whatever it is just spit it out."

Ginny sighed and rose from her seat. Reluctantly she came forward and halted before Draco. Instead of looking him in the eye, she stared at his chin and said, "I just wanted to say that…" Ginny trailed off and raised her eyes until she was staring into Draco's. Her warm, brown eyes met his cold gray ones and Draco just stared into them. He could see himself reflected in her eyes and saw that he still had a scowl on his face. He frowned and peered closer because for the first time ever, he saw that the scowl actually made his face seem ugly. Disbelievingly, he wondered if that was what people always saw in him when he was scowling; he had never known it to be so ugly before. But then again, he had never seen himself when he was scowling.

Still staring into Ginny's eyes, he let the frown, as well as the scowl, melt off his face until he was staring expressionlessly at Ginny. Her eyes were scanning his face but they came to a rest at his eyes once more.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," she said, resignation heavy in her voice. "I'm sorry for what I said to you last time and I didn't mean it. I was just mad at the time and I'd like it if we continued working together."

Draco watched her for a moment and tried to detect any sign of deceit in her face but he couldn't see any. "You sound like you rehearsed that," he scoffed.

Ginny closed her eyes and shook her head disbelievingly. "I just apologized to you and all you can say is that I rehearsed it? Can't I even get a 'Thank you' out of you?"

"Don't push it, Weasley," Draco said. "You're lucky I'm even here." Draco became silent and merely stared at Ginny, who glanced around awkwardly. She sighed and tapped her foot, staring back at Draco with an impatient expression on her face. The minutes ticked by and Draco just stared at her in amusement as her face became more and more exasperated.

"Well?" she finally asked.

"Well what?" Draco retorted.

"Well do you still want to work together?" Ginny asked. "Do you accept my apology?"

"Sure," Draco said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "But there's really no point in working together right now. There aren't any students missing."

"Yes, but people still think that you are guilty," Ginny said. Mild relief crossed her face and for a moment, Draco wondered if she was truly happy that he wasn't upset with her. This girl was a real mystery to him; Draco could hardly ever tell what she was really thinking. That was unusual for him, because usually he could read people like a book.

"Well fine then," Draco said. "We'll still work together."

"Good," Ginny said. "We'll discuss it later though; right now I'm too tired to think straight."

"Then maybe you shouldn't keep dragging me up here in the middle of the night," Draco replied.

Ginny snorted and started walking out of the room. "Whatever, Malfoy. Whatever." Ginny exited the room and started walking down the corridor; Draco followed and soon caught up to her. They silently walked through the dark hallways of Hogwarts together, each completely aware of the other next to them.

Before long they came to a "T" in the hallway. Draco started to turn left, which led down towards the dungeons, while Ginny turned right.

"Night, Malfoy," Ginny called, and Draco stiffened. He turned around to see that Ginny had frozen in the hallway. He couldn't see her face but he could imagine that there was a horrified expression on it right now at what she had just said.

Without another word, Ginny took off down the hall at a sprint, not looking back once. Draco watched her go until she turned the corner and was lost from sight. He shook his head and slowly continued walking towards Slytherin house.

_Did she just say goodnight to me?_ Draco thought in shock. _This familiarity with each other has got to stop. Pretty soon we'll be calling each other by our first names._

Draco shuddered and kept on walking.

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**A/N:** Well, that chapter definately is not one of my favorites. Most likely because I couldn't figure out what to put in it, but whatever. Now, I can't remember if I replied to reviews or not for the last chapter, so I decided not to do it again. I don't want anybody to get two review responses and be all like "Ok..." Yeah. I'll try responding to them as soon as I get the review this time.

Everybody, have a safe holiday and avery Merry Christmas! See you in 2006!

Lauren


	16. You Must Be Lucky, Ginny

Woo! I got a chapter up sooner than last time. Anyway, please remember to review.

Disclaimer: It's not April Fools so you can't say that I own Harry Potter.

**Chapter 16: You Must Be Lucky, Ginny**

Laughter filled the air. Snowballs flitted around, playfully hitting other people. Trees were decorated with garland and snowy glass bulbs. Snowmen and their snow families were dotted along the ground, their creators staring at them in adoration and approval. Birds sang in the trees above, joyously chirping away the day. The sky was bright blue with only a bare trace of clouds and the sun spread its loving, warm rays on the world below. Christmas was near at hand.

"Stupid Christmas spirit," muttered Draco as he punched the head off a snowman, sending two first years, who had obviously just finished making it, running towards the castle, tears streaming down their cheeks. He plodded through the snow on his way to Herbology. "I don't see why everybody loves this time of year."

"You know, Draco," Blaise said from Draco's side, causing Draco to look at him out of the corner of his eyes, "you should really think about cheering up. No girl is going to want to go to the ball with you if you look like you just ate a jarful of bubotuber pus."

"Oh please, Zabini," Draco scoffed, "any girl would be thrilled to go with me; I'm the best Hogwarts has to offer. Anyway," he continued, "I was just commenting on how all this holiday cheer is really overrated."

Draco saw Blaise roll his eyes but he ignored his friend and kept on walking towards the greenhouses. The holidays really were a drag; seeing everybody else so happy made Draco even sourer, if that was possible. It reminded him exactly of what he didn't have. He couldn't quite explain it, but every Christmas left him with a longing for something…anything.

As they entered the greenhouse, Draco saw that Potter was sitting in the corner with his usual companions, Weasley and Granger. However, he was also joined by his other Gryffindor comrades, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom. The six friends were all gathered together at one of the tables, talking while they waited for Professor Sprout to begin the lesson.

Draco and Blaise sat at the table across from Potter and his gang. Draco frowned and looked around; Crabbe and Goyle were nowhere to be found. That was unusual for them, because normally they followed Draco everywhere. Sometimes it got annoying, but they did serve their purpose of making a path for Draco in the crowded hallways. Without them, Draco had to fight his way through the crowds like everybody else. He shrugged his shoulders and slumped back in his seat, waiting for class to start.

* * *

"I just _love_ this time of year," Ginny sighed, spinning in a circle through the snow, her arms spread wide. "I think Christmas must be the most wonderful holiday ever." Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail and her cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold.

"Are you going home for Christmas, Ginny?" her friend Colin asked. Dennis Creevey was following the two down to the Quidditch pitch for practice that night.

"Yeah, me and Ron are," Ginny said. "Mum always wants us home for the holidays."

"Same with our dad," Colin said, shifting his broom to rest against his other shoulder. They fell silent and Ginny gazed at the stars above them. At the moment, she wished it didn't get dark so early in winter; it would make it harder to practice Quidditch. Though they wouldn't have another game for a few weeks, Harry was very adamant about practicing. Next weekend, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff would have their first match.

As they neared the pitch, angry voices drifted through the air. Ginny groaned as she recognized them.

"Back off, Scarhead," came Draco Malfoy's snarling voice.

"We were here first, Malfoy," Harry challenged. "We have the pitch reserved for practice tonight, so get you and your team out of here."

"Your team isn't all here," Draco said, a sneer obvious in his voice. "Seeing as_ we_ are, we should get to practice."

"Uh-oh," Collin muttered and the three sped up. They walked through the doors to the Quidditch pitch and saw the rest of their team clustered together, facing off the entire Slytherin team. Harry and Draco were practically nose to nose, glaring at each other ferociously.

"Here's the rest of our team," Seamus said, noticing Collin, Dennis, and Ginny approaching. "Now get out of here, Malfoy."

"Watch your mouth, Finnigan," Draco shot back at him. "It doesn't matter if you're all here now. We're going to practice."

"Oh no you're not," Ron growled, stepping forward. Ginny saw that his ears were red from suppressed anger.

"Don't talk to me like that, weasel," Draco said arrogantly, staring hard at Ron. "You're not fit to wipe the dirt off my shoes."

Ron's hands twitched like he wanted to strangle Draco, but he remained still. Ginny placed a hand warningly on his shoulder and Ron's head jerked to look at her as if only noticing her for the first time. His attention returned full-force to Malfoy and his crew though.

"Where's Madame Hooch?" Ginny whispered to Dean next to her. "I thought she was supposed to oversee all Quidditch practices."

"She _was_ here," Dean whispered back at her, keeping his eyes on the Slytherins, "but that was before _they_ got here. Said she wasn't feeling well so she left. Then the Slytherins showed up."

Ginny nodded and eyed Draco. He didn't look the least bit flustered, nor did he look like he was about to back down. Crabbe and Goyle were on either side of him. Goyle was cracking his knuckles threateningly and Crabbe was gripping his broom handle roughly.

"I know what we can do," Draco said, his eyes narrowing and a dark smile creeping up his face. "We'll have a Quidditch match…whoever wins gets the pitch to practice. Only rule is that you can't grab the Snitch before your team has scored 50 points; other than that, _anything goes_."

Dread filled Ginny at dark look on Draco's face when he had said "anything goes", and she became even more worried at the determined look on Harry's face; she started to talk Harry out of it. "Harry, I really don't think we should –"

"You're on," Harry stated. Ginny groaned. Draco grinned.

"You got yourself a game, Potter," he replied. "Team, this way!" Draco hopped on his broom and flew to the other end of the pitch. When the rest of the team joined him, they huddled together to talk. Ginny didn't like the looks they were sending their way.

"You sure about this, Harry?" Seamus asked him. He too seemed to notice the evil grins on the Slytherins' faces.

"We'll be fine," Harry said. "Let's just look at this as extra practice."

"Yeah, practice for _death_," Ginny mumbled, but nobody heard her. She sighed and listened to Harry prep his teammates.

"Just play the best you can," he said. "Ron, watch out for Aidan Tulson. I saw him at one of their practices and he's gotten loads better since the last game."

Ron nodded stiffly.

"And Ginny, Seamus, Dean – Crabbe and Goyle still can't hit worth beans, so I don't think you have much to worry about," Harry scratched his neck, his brow furrowed. "I think last week was just luck that they hit you, Ginny."

"Right…luck," Ginny said sourly. "Let's just hope luck is on _our_ side tonight, alright boys? I'd like to live till Christmas, if that's alright with you."

"Geez, Ginny, what's got your pants in a twist?" Ron asked as the team started turning and walking towards their end of the pitch.

"Oh, I don't know, Ron," Ginny said sarcastically. "Maybe because we're about to play a bunch of hot-headed Slytherins who've been looking for an excuse to pound us all to a pulp," she whispered fiercely at him. "There's no teachers here to stop them from playing dirty, which is exactly what they're going to do, if you haven't noticed."

"Aw, stop being such a worry-wart," Dean said from her left. "This'll be fun."

_Honestly, am I the only one of this team who has an ounce of sense?_ she thought to herself. She paused for a moment as the others walked past her. _Well, I_ am _the only girl on the team. Yep, I've got the most sense. _She nodded and kept on walking.

When they reached their end of the pitch, they mounted their brooms and stared at the Slytherin team. The chest containing the Quidditch balls rested in the middle of the field. None of the Slytherins looked like they were about to open the chest and everybody remained still.

"Someone's got to open that," Ginny said to no one in particular. She sighed in exasperation when nobody answered her and flew towards the chest, all eyes on her. When Ginny released the balls, both teams raced forward to claim them.

Ginny glanced up and saw that all three Slytherin Chasers reached the Quaffle at the same time that Dean and Seamus did. As Dean reached for the Quaffle, Alan Howry kicked at Dean's face but Dean ducked. Howry ended up with the Quaffle and they raced towards the Gryffindor posts. Ginny gaped after the Slytherins; if this was a real game and Alan had actually hit Dean, then that would have been a penalty. She sped up her broom to catch up to Dean and Seamus, who were speeding after the Slytherins.

Right when Howry got within scoring distance, he passed the Quaffle to Aidan Tulson, who whipped the ball towards the far right goalpost. Though Ron swooped over and reached as far as he could, he wasn't quick enough to stop the red ball from zooming through the post.

The three Slytherin Chasers roared harshly in triumph and headed towards the other end of the pitch. Angrily, Ron shot the Quaffle at Seamus, and Ginny and Dean flanked his either side as they flew towards the Slytherin goalposts.

The three Gryffindors faced the three Slytherins and at a nod from Seamus, they split up. Ginny flew higher above everybody and kept a close eye on Seamus, who was heading straight towards Alan Howry. Dean flew below Seamus and off to his left; Aidan Tulson was knocking knees with him.

Ginny was just about to call to Seamus for the Quaffle when Blaise Zabini appeared out of nowhere in front of her. His black hair swished in the wind and his face had a dark look on it. Ginny pulled up short to avoid running into him. She moved left to go around him but Blaise moved with her, blocking her way. She moved right but he did as well. _So they're playing man-to-man,_ thought Ginny. _I can handle that._

Ginny faked like she was going to fly up and Zabini moved up as well, just as Ginny had planned. The Gryffindor girl zoomed downwards and past Zabini. He growled at her as she sped by under him and lashed out with his foot, trying to kick her, but Ginny was too fast for him. Within moments, she had caught up to Seamus. Now it was two-on-one – Ginny and Seamus on Howry. Seamus tossed the ball over Howry's head and Ginny caught it; she continued flying towards the Slytherin goals.

"Behind you, Ginny!" Seamus shouted from somewhere behind her, and looking back, she saw Blaise Zabini gaining on her. She tried to speed up but instead of going faster, her broom seemed to be slowing down. Frantically she spurted forward but soon her broom was at a complete stand-still in the air. She turned around and saw that Zabini had his wand aimed at her broom. The Slytherin boy approached her broom, his wand still holding her broom still.

"I'll take that," he said, reaching for the Quaffle, but Ginny hugged it to her and turned away. Blaise's broom was resting next to hers and he reached over and started prying her arms apart. Ginny was no match for the seventh year's strength and she desperately looked around for either Seamus or Dean, but it seemed their brooms were still as well. Both of them were watching Ginny and Blaise with angry and helpless looks on their faces. With another quick look, she saw that Crabbe and Goyle had also suspended Collin and Dennis.

Anger filled Ginny at what the Slytherins were doing. It wasn't fair at all. Her Weasley temper kicked in and she elbowed Blaise hard in the face, colliding with his nose. He grunted and his arms fell off of Ginny, cradling his nose. This gave Ginny the distraction she needed and she whipped out her wand. She pointed it at Blaise's hands, which were still on his face, and shouted "Levitrosoma!"

Blaise stared in shock at Ginny as his hands were frozen in place. Momentarily, Ginny giggled when she saw that they were both clamped around his nose, but then she cleared her throat. She then kicked at Blaise's broom and it lazily spun away; his wand was no longer pointing at her broom.

With a spurt of speed and a grin of delight, Ginny flew forward, leaving an irate Blaise Zabini behind her. _Fight fire with fire,_ she thought. She looked over her shoulder and saw Blaise trying to wrench his hands off his face, but they wouldn't budge, thanks to her spell. Now it was just her and the Slytherin Keeper, Warren Quinn.

Ginny easily lobbed the ball through the air and it went sailing through the Slytherin hoop; now the score was tied. Ginny grinned and turned around. Howry had released his hold on Seamus's broom and was helping Blaise with his hands. Seamus was now with Dean and Aidan, arguing with the latter. Seamus must have said something to set Aidan's temper off, because Aidan's fist soon collided with Seamus's nose. Seamus clutched his nose just as Dean whipped his wand out and pointed it at Aidan. He had just opened his mouth to curse him when a stray Bludger went sailing into the group, breaking the three apart.

_This is going to get very violent very soon,_ Ginny thought. _Too much raging testosterone…_ Ginny's attention returned to the game when she saw Alan Howry with the Quaffle shoot towards the Gryffindor goalposts and she flew after him. Before she got far, however, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and saw Blaise yanking on her hair to slow her down. He gave one last hard tug and, smirking, flew past her, leaving her far behind.

Ginny rubbed the back of her head and followed him. Seamus appeared at her side and he asked, "You alright, Ginny?"

"I'm fine," she said through clenched teeth. "But if they score again…" she trailed off, shaking her head with anger. Her heart dropped as she saw Zabini toss the Quaffle towards the Gryffindor goalposts, but this time Ron was able to stop it. He passed the Quaffle to Dean who headed back towards them.

"Come on, I've got an idea," Seamus said. He and Ginny were in the middle of the pitch and headed toward the Slytherin side as Dean came towards them; all three Slytherin Chasers following him dangerously closely.

Howry grabbed on to the end of Dean's broom, slowing him down. Blaise grabbed Dean's right arm while his left still clutched the Quaffle. Dean started wobbling backwards, caught off-balance by Zabini's pulling him back. Aidan made a grab for the Quaffle. Dean tried to fight them off by shoving them with his shoulders, but he was no match for three Slytherins.

Just as it seemed that Dean would lose the ball, Seamus pulled out his wand and pointed it had the four Chasers. "Accio Quaffle!" he shouted and Dean's grip loosened. The red ball went zooming across the pitch towards Seamus.

"Good one, Seamus!" Ginny clapped him on the back as the Quaffle flew into Seamus's hands. They could hear the Slytherins cursing all the way across the field as they hurried to catch up to Ginny and Seamus. The two Gryffindors approached the Slytherin goalposts long before the Slytherins ever got there. They also scored before the Slytherins could do anything about it.

_Twenty to ten,_ Ginny thought. _Only three more goals until Harry can catch the Quaffle. _She glanced up to see where Harry and Draco were and saw that the two of them were flying in circles very high up in the air and yelling at each other. The two of them were obviously arguing, as usual, and Ginny only hoped that Harry was paying attention to the score. The sooner this game ended the better.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of three angry Slytherin Chasers zooming towards her. Turning and sighing, she saw Blaise Zabini carrying the Quaffle; Aidan Tulson and Alan Howry flanked his either side.

Ginny was just about to back away when, with a shout from Dennis Creevey, a Bludger flew straight into the three Slytherins, scattering them aside like rag dolls. The motion caused Blaise to drop the Quaffle and with a cry of surprise, Ginny sped downward to catch it.

The wind of her downward rush blew a few pieces of Ginny's hair out of her pony tail, but she ignored them. The only two things she was aware of were the Quaffle that was falling towards the ground and Blaise Zabini who was directly behind her.

The moment her hand wrapped around the Quaffle, Blaise and his broom collided with her. The force of the blow not only knocked the air out of Ginny and the Quaffle out of her hands, but caused the two Chasers to plummet to the ground in a tangle of legs, arms, and broomsticks. Twigs from each broom broke off and Ginny's arms flailed about, trying to grab onto something, anything. It seemed, though, as if she was no longer properly on her broom and was merely tangled with Blaise and their broomsticks, merely a fly trapped in a spider web.

The Quaffle long forgotten, Ginny braced herself for the bone-crushing crash that was to come. The only comforting thought as she fell to the ground was that she probably hadn't been high up enough to die from the fall; the Quaffle hadn't been more than twenty feet off the ground when she had caught it. She was barely aware of the screams and shouts of her teammates above her; the roaring of the wind in her ears drowned out the sound.

Ginny looked down with fear as the ground rushed up; she tucked her head into her chest to prepare for the landing. Without warning, she and Blaise slammed into the ground in one tangled mass. Her head, covered by her hands, smacked into the ground and black dots appeared before her eyes. She gasped for breath but a sharp pain stabbed through her left side, leaving no air for her to breathe.

Ginny groaned and tried to move her legs but found they wouldn't budge. Panic filled her and she sat up only to see that they were trapped under Blaise's body, which wasn't moving. A wave of dizziness washed over her and she fell backwards. She was distantly aware of her teammates descending towards them but her mind wouldn't focus. Her body ached all over and she could hardly breathe.

Something was trapped under her left side, the side that she suspected contained some broken ribs, and she shifted her wait to her right side. From under her she pulled the broken remains of a broomstick, one which she sadly recognized as her own. It was obvious that one end of the broom, the bushy end, had been lying atop Blaise while the other end had been under Ginny's left side; when they had crashed, she had landed on top of the broom, breaking her ribs _and_ the broomstick in half.

Tears sprang to Ginny's eyes, partly from pain and partly from the loss of her broomstick. As if from a distance, she heard Ron's voice calling her name. It became jumbled together in her mind, however, and her eyelids fluttered open and shut. Desperately she fought off the unconsciousness that was clouding her vision. Though she struggled to stay awake, the shock was too intense and she welcomed the blackness that numbed her pain.

* * *

Draco watched with growing horror as Blaise and Ginny collided with a thud that he could hear from way up in the air. They fell towards the ground and all Draco could do was stare with his eyes wide. Within seconds of their collision, Ginny and Blaise crashed into the ground. He couldn't tell from this high up, but it didn't appear as if either player was moving. Panic filled him and he thought of how he could possibly be in trouble if either died since it had been his idea for a Quidditch match. He remained motionless as the rest of the Gryffindors and Slytherins sped to the ground to check on their fallen teammates. Slowly Draco followed them.

When Draco reached the ground, he saw Ron Weasley cradling his sister's head in his lap and calling her name, trying to wake her. He saw that Ron's eyes were slightly watery and the rest of team was gathered around with worried expressions on their faces.

In a daze, Draco turned to Blaise who was lying just as motionless as Ginny. Draco expected them to be unconscious; they had fallen nearly thirty feet. He bent down next to Blaise, who was being fanned by their Keeper, Warren Quinn.

"He's alive," Quinn stated, watching nervously as Draco bent over Blaise and shook his shoulder. Their Chaser didn't move an inch. Draco glanced over his shoulder and was filled with unexpected worry at the sight of Ginny laying there. Her crimson hair was barely pulled back in its earlier pony tail and her face was smudged with dirt from when she had hit the ground. He looked to see if her stomach was moving to determine if she was still alive, but he couldn't tell. Desperately he wanted to ask if she was alive, but he didn't dare. At the moment, Ron's face was darker and more irate than he'd ever seen it. The red-haired boy was staring at him dangerously, his body shaking with anger. Ron rose with jerking motions and stepped towards Draco, his hands outstretched and his head shaking back and forth. He stopped and looked back at Ginny though; then he turned back to Draco and pointed a finger at him.

"I swear I'm going to kill you," Ron said hoarsely. "If she doesn't get better, I am going to kill you."

Draco, along with the rest of the Slytherin team, watched as Ron turned, picked up his sister, and took off running towards the castle, the rest of the Gryffindor team in tow.

Draco turned back to the Blaise and sighed. "Well let's go then," he said heavily. His usual cool attitude of arrogance was long gone. He may have hated Ginny Weasley, but he sure didn't want her to die.

With a wave of his wand, Blaise was levitated behind him. With Draco leading the way, the Slytherins headed towards the castle.

* * *

A strange noise filled Ginny's ears. Groaning, she opened her eyes and glanced around. The room she was in contained lots of white; white sheets, white walls, white clothes. There was only one place like that, and that was the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. Relief flooded through her at that realization for that meant that she wasn't dead. With a rush of memories, she remembered the unexpected Quidditch match, the collision with Blaise, and the painful crash to the ground. She sat up and was greeted with a dull pain in her side, though one not as intense as earlier. The only thing that really hurt was her head; she could feel the blood pounding in it.

She heard the sound that had woken her up again and she glanced sharply to her right. Her brother Ron was slumped against her bed, his head resting on his elbows. Snores were emanating from his partially opened mouth.

Ginny turned to her left and saw that the bed next to her was occupied by Blaise Zabini. _Good,_ she thought. _He's not dead. _A sharp intake of breath next to her made Ginny turn her head back again and she saw that Ron was now awake and staring at her.

"Ginny!" he shouted and threw himself at her, wrapping her in a giant hug.

"Oof," went Ginny as her brother tackled her in a hug.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, looking at her side. "Madame Pomfrey said not to really touch you right now. She said your side hasn't healed fully quite yet."

"What happened?" Ginny asked. "I mean after I hit the ground." She rubbed her shoulder and wearily looked around.

"Well you and Zabini crashed, and then we flew down to you. Both of you were unconscious so we took you and Zabini up here; we all sort of quit the game." Ron sighed and continued. "Pomfrey said that you broke two of your left ribs and that you have a concussion, but other than that and a few bruises, you should be fine. All Zabini got was a broken leg, a broken nose, and probably the biggest headache ever."

"I'm sure I could give him a run for his money," Ginny said, holding her head in her hands. The pounding was getting worse, probably because she was sitting up. _Stupid blood rush,_ Ginny thought.

"Ah, well it's still the middle of the night," Ron said. "I can go get Pomfrey if you want," he said, standing up and heading for the door.

"No, it's alright, Ron," Ginny said. "I'll probably fall back asleep in a minute anyway. Why don't you go to bed? It's late and I'm fine now."

"No, I'll stay with you," Ron said, shrugging his shoulders. "You know, just to make sure nothing happens."

Ginny didn't quite know what to say. Her brother was acting…dare she say…sweet? It was very unusual for Ron, but she was enjoying his attitude. It reminded her of days of old when they were little and played their silly games together, of when they were best friends. They still were, but this little action of Ron's gave Ginny a sense of comfort.

She snuggled down under the blankets and pulled the crisp white sheets up to her chin. Ron settled back in his chair, folded his arms over his chest, and sighed. He eyed Ginny as she closed her eyes contently. Before long, she had fallen back asleep.

* * *

Madame Pomfrey insisted that Ginny remained in the Hospital Wing for the next three days. Within a few hours, her ribs had completely healed but the school nurse said it would take longer for her concussion to go away. Sometimes Ginny would get dizzy just by sitting up in bed and she constantly had a headache, so she figured it would be best not to argue with Pomfrey.

Blaise Zabini was also ordered to stay in the Hospital Wing for one day after the Quidditch match because of his injuries. He and Ginny spent most of that day in a glaring contest which Ginny felt confident that she had won. Growing up with six older brothers had taught her the meaning of patience and stubbornness, the latter being a prominent Weasley trait.

The rest of the Gryffindor team all came down to visit her that day as well; she enjoyed all the attention she received, but after a while she just wanted to be left alone. In the evening, a few of the Slytherins came down to see Blaise and Ginny huffed when they entered, turning her back to them. However, she watched Draco out of the corner of her eye while they were there. A few times she'd catch him glancing at her, and whenever Draco saw that she noticed him, he'd glance away quickly. A feeling of smugness came over Ginny at the thought that possibly Draco had been worried about her, even if the tiniest bit. She noticed that most of the time that the Slytherins were visiting Blaise, Draco was quiet and she wondered why. Was he perhaps feeling guilt for what had happened at the Quidditch match? Was he regretting his rash decision to a game?

From what Ginny had heard from Ron and Harry, both the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams were in trouble. When Madame Pomfrey had learned of the reason for Ginny's and Blaise's injuries, she had alerted their head's of houses, who had had to tell Professor Dumbledore. As of yet, Ginny didn't quite know how their team would be punished, but she could bet that it wouldn't be very good.

Footsteps near the back of the infirmary caused Ginny to sit up in her hospital bed. It was the day that she would be able to return to classes. For the two days she had missed, Hermione had been sure to bring her all of her books and homework so that she wasn't behind. Also during those visits, Hermione made sure to express her disapproval for the Gryffindors' actions in accepting the game. Ginny chose to ignore all her exasperated sighs.

"Well, Miss Weasley," greeted Madame Pomfrey as she entered the room, "I think you are free to leave now."

Ginny jumped excitedly out of the bed, already dressed in her robes. "Thank you, Madame Pomfrey," she exclaimed.

"You must be lucky, Ginny," Pomfrey said, shaking her head. "Lucky that that fall didn't kill you or Mr. Zabini."

_Ha, luck,_ Ginny thought. There were two ways to look at the situation. 1: She _wasn't _lucky because she had fallen in the first place or 2: She _was_ lucky that she hadn't died. Being the optimist that she was, Ginny chose the latter. _I suppose I was lucky._

"However," continued Madame Pomfrey, "if you have any problems, any at all, come right back, you hear?" the nurse cautioned.

"Don't worry, I will," Ginny reassured her, grabbing the few 'get well' cards she had received. After thanking the nurse again, she exited the Hospital Wing.

The afternoon had just turned into evening and the halls were crowded with students hurrying down to the Great Hall for dinner. A few students said 'hello' to Ginny in the halls while others said they were happy she was well. Ginny smiled to herself, glad that not everybody hated her. Her stomach growled, reminding her of the early lunch she had eaten. She excitedly made her way towards the Great Hall, happy to see her friends and family again.

When she entered the Great Hall, she sighed contentedly and made her way over to the Gryffindor table. Ron scooted over for her and she sat in between him and Harry.

"How're you feeling, Ginny?" Harry asked her.

Ginny smiled into her lap before replying "Fine, thanks." She looked around. "Where's Hermione?"

"She said she was skipping dinner," Ron said through a mouthful of chicken pot pie. "Said something about studying in the library, I don't know."

Ginny shook her head. If Hermione wasn't in class, sleeping, or eating, then she was in the library. Looking over at the Slytherin table, Ginny saw Draco glance down quickly. A small smile played on her lips and she wondered if perhaps Draco's heart was softening a bit. _Who would have thought it possible,_ Ginny pondered.

_Maybe Draco is human after all.

* * *

_

Draco watched intently as a certain red-head bobbed in and out of the students and came to a halt at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. A strange and foreign feeling was in Draco's stomach and he couldn't quite describe it. He felt a great weight lift off his shoulders; Ron Wesley had threatened to kill him if his sister didn't get better. Draco wasn't particularly afraid of _one _Weasley, but he had a feeling that Ron would've enlisted the help of his brothers to carry out that task. Seeing Ginny up and about was a good thing indeed.

Yet seeing Ginny well wasn't good only because that meant that Draco wouldn't be castrated with a splintery wooden spoon by six angry red-headed blood traitors…no, it was more than that. Somehow, Draco's spirit had been dampened by the turnout of that spontaneous Quidditch match against the Gryffindors. He had expected to beat them badly and possibly even make Ron Weasley cry in frustration, and he had in fact told his team to do anything necessary to win, but he hadn't planned on anybody getting seriously injured as they had. And he certainly hadn't planned on getting punished for it. Indeed, he felt that he was in big trouble.

"Attention, students," Albus Dumbledore called to the Great Hall. Draco looked up; he hadn't even noticed that the headmaster had stood up, so absorbed in his thoughts had he been. "I would like both the Slytherin and Gryffindor Quidditch teams to meet me in the Transfiguration classroom this evening after dinner. That is all."

As Dumbledore sat down, snickers broke out around the room. By now, almost everybody had heard of what had taken place Saturday night down at the Quidditch pitch. A few students had even gone far enough to say that every student on those two teams would no longer be able to play Quidditch at Hogwarts. Draco thought that that was an overstatement, but he couldn't be too sure. He sighed and stared at his plate.

Why did it seem that lately, Draco's life was filled with nothing but trouble?

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**A/N:** Well I hope you guys liked that chapter; it was fun for me to write. I didn't get near as much in it as I wanted to, but I cut out some of what I had and am using it for the next chapter. So yes, that means I have part of the next one written. Yay! But school starts again tomorrow :( so that means I'll be getting super busy again. Too bad Christmas break can't last forever, right? Well, at least I got another chapter up. Please please please review! I know _everybody _says that, but it's so motivating. Unless it's a flame or something, but so far I've been lucky (like Ginny,lol)and you guys have been nice to me. This is my first story ever so I guess I'm happy.

REVIEW! And Happy New Year!

Lauren


	17. A Most Disturbing Letter

It has come to my attention that Colin Creevey is only spelt with one L in stead of two, which I have been using. Sooooo, in light of my recent discovery (ha! doesn't that sound so professional?) I have decided to ignore my earlier spelling of his name, which was _Collin._ Now I will be using _Colin._ And if I'm super bored one day, I may just go back and change his name in the previous chapters.

Also, I had a problem with the computer where I couldn't upload it on that one, so I had to email it to another computer to do it. Well emailing it messed up the formatting and all so I had to go through it and redo it when I was all tired and I still am so I probably didn't catch all the errors. So if something is seriously messed up, then ignore it.

Disclaimer: I don't own this.

**Chapter 17: A Most Disturbing Letter**

Ginny's teeth chattered nervously as she, Ron, Harry, Dean, Seamus, Colin, and Dennis all walked out of the Great Hall. As they walked by the tables, heads turned and eyes stared. Ginny could only imagine what they were thinking; Ginny herself feared that the team would be expelled. She mentally slapped herself, along with the rest of the team, for ever accepting Draco's invitation.

The young Gryffindor girl glanced back once at the Slytherin table and saw each member of the Slytherin Quidditch team had yet to move. In fact, they looked just as calm and cool as they usually did, as if nothing could faze them. They were infuriating! Even Draco, despite his earlier unusual show of feeling, (or what Ginny assumed was feeling), seemed calm. They all appeared to have forgotten Dumbledore's ordering them to the Transfiguration room after dinner. It seemed as if everybody else in the hall was wondering the same thing too; even though most everybody was finished eating, they were all watching the Slytherin Quidditch players, who were scattered throughout the Slytherin table, and waiting for them to leave first.

Trying to ignore the catcalls and jeers sent their way, especially from the few Slytherins who were paying attention to them, Ginny looked straight at the floor. Her mind reeled with the thought that she might possibly be expelled, but some small voice deep within her told her that Dumbledore wouldn't be that harsh. If he was and had no sense of either humor or tolerance, then Fred and George would've been expelled years ago. That is,  
before they decided to leave themselves.

The seven Gryffindor Quidditch players were deathly silent by the time they entered the cool corridor and turned towards the Transfiguration classroom. Ginny wondered what the others were thinking. Well, Harry and Ron were used to getting in trouble so this shouldn't upset them too much, and Ginny herself had gotten in trouble a few times, but it had never been too bad. Dean and Seamus were best friends and though Ginny suspected that they had been given a detention on occasion, she doubted that they'd ever been seriously punished. As for Colin and Dennis, Ginny didn't think they'd even had house points taken away. The two brothers were on all the teachers' good sides, with the possible exception of Snape; but even the Potions master had a hard time finding fault with the Creeveys. He tried though, goodness knows he did, yet the brothers were particularly skilled at potions; so punishing them was out of the question.

The students entered the empty classroom and Ginny sighed as she flopped into an empty seat. Resting her head on her crossed arms, she closed her eyes and wished the night would just end. She had already owled her parents and told her of the accident, because they would've found out eventually and would've killed her had she not told them herself. However, she had refrained from mentioning the nature of the game; now they were going to hear about her being in trouble and she'd be punished even further from them...probably end up with a Howler or two. Now how was she ever going to ask for a new broom?

Ginny groaned at the memory of her broom, now broken beyond repair. Hermione had suggested fixing it and had even tried a few charms herself but the fact remained that nothing could be done about it. According to Professor Flitwick, whom they'd gone to for help when much to her disgrace, Hermione had been unsuccessful in her attempts, they needed all pieces of the broom. So then Hermione had gone down to the Quidditch pitch and searched for the few splinters of wood they were missing, but had been unable to find them. Ginny was very much thankful for Hermione's helping, but she had resigned herself to the truth: her broom was broken. Now if she wanted to stay on the Quidditch team, she'd have to borrow one of the school's brooms; everybody knew that those were old and slower than a three-legged cat. There was no way she'd be caught dead on one of those. No, somehow she'd have to get a broom another way…somehow.

The sound of footsteps approaching beckoned Ginny out of her reverie and she turned in her seat to see the Slytherins entering the room. Instead of seeing Draco in the front and leading the way, as Ginny had expected to see, he was the last one to come into the room. Surprisingly, Draco didn't bother sneering or sending a snide comment even at Harry or Ron; instead he stared straight at the ground as he chose a seat in the very back of the room.

The arrival of the Slytherins was soon followed by the approach of Professors Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall. _Great,_ thought Ginny. _Head of Hogwarts and heads of our houses…this ought to be fun.  
_  
"I'm sure you all know what you're here for," mused Dumbledore, shuffling his feet to the front of the room. He took a seat at McGonagall's desk and folded his hands in his lap. As a few of the students nodded mutely, Minerva McGonagall rested against her desk and stared at the class with a stern look on her face, particularly when she looked at her Gryffindors. Snape merely stood in the corner with his arms folded and a scowl on his face.

"After some deliberation amongst ourselves," began Professor McGonagall, "we have decided on your punishment."

Ginny glanced nervously at Ron, who was sitting at the desk next to her, before returning her gaze to Professor McGonagall. Their Transfiguration teacher was staring straight in front of her with a stern look on her face; apparently she was finished talking. McGonagall blinked a few times and her head jerkily turned to look at Dumbledore, who was still sitting just as still as ever, a peaceful look on his face.

"Albus," McGonagall hissed, glancing back and forth between the headmaster and the students. "Albus," she hissed again. She sighed and shouted "Albus!" Dumbledore looked up at her slowly, and he smiled.

"Yes?" he asked calmly?

"Aren't you going to tell them of their punishment?" McGonagall asked tersely.

"Oh, yes...yes," Dumbledore mused, appearing to give thought to the matter. "You are quite right, Minerva my dear. Right you are," he said, his eyes twinkling at the Transfiguration teacher. Snape remained as stoic as ever.

Ginny didn't know whether to laugh or not. Albus Dumbledore was a strange man, but definitely a wise one. Sometimes the reason in his moods, demeanor, and actions was obscure, but it was always there. That, Ginny reasoned, was one reason why Voldemort feared Dumbledore so; the man was hard to  
understand yet the wisest one around.

"Yes, your punishment," continued Dumbledore. "We have decided that the animosity between Slytherin and Gryffindor has been going on for far too long. We have hoped that over time, Slytherins and Gryffindors would learn to embrace their fellow students and put aside old differences, but it seems that hasn't been working well," he sighed.

Ginny's heart dropped as she listened to Professor Dumbledore's little speech. Wherever this was heading didn't sound good. Perhaps they had pushed Dumbledore's temper over the edge with that game. But then again, the rivalry between Gryffindors and Slytherins was like a tradition. Ginny didn't see how it would ever go away; some roots went too deep to excavate...some things never changed.

"We will be partnering you off with each other, starting tomorrow," Professor Dumbledore stated matter-of-factly, and Ginny groaned silently. Partnering? Seemed like there'd been too much of that going on lately.

_Oh no,_ Ginny thought, horror weighing down upon her like slate as a thought came to her mind. _Oh no, not Draco…please. I'm already spending enough time with him...whatever you do don't "partner" me with him.  
_  
"There are fourteen of you…seven Gryffindors and seven Slytherins," Dumbledore said, motioning with his hands at the students. "For one week, a Slytherin will be paired with a Gryffindor and they will perform all of their normal activities together. We have tried to pair you up according to age so that you can attend classes together; however not all of you are the same ages," Dumbledore paused and seemed to consider something. "Since there is that problem, you will be exempt of going to class with each other except," Dumbledore paused and a tiny smile formed on his lips, "for those of you who already have classes together.

"However," he continued, "you will share meals together, study together, do homework together, spend your free time together, and most importantly, get along together." Professor Dumbledore placed heavy emphasis on the last three words and his eyes came to rest on Draco. The Slytherin's face had an expression on it that seemed to ask 'What did I do?'

Ginny tentatively raised her hand in the air, and when Dumbledore nodded at her, she asked, "Sir, we don't.I mean, we don't have to, like, share a room together, do we?" Her face blushed deeply at what she was implying, and a few of the Slytherins started laughing with what Ginny could only assume was pleasure at her embarrassment. She was, after all, the only girl.

"No, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said, and his eyes seemed to smile at her, "you don't. But you will be spending much time together."

"And what about common rooms?" Seamus asked. "What if we want to go to _our_  
house; what about the Slytherin? Can they get in?"

"Embracing each other's ideas and beliefs is essential if you are to get along," prompted McGonagall, "so you are all encouraged to visit each other's house, where we are hoping you will get a better understanding of your fellow students."

Ha, imagine Draco in Gryffindor House, Ginny thought with glee. _He won't know what to do.  
_  
"Severus," Professor Dumbledore called to the corner where Snape was still standing, and remaining unusually silent. His eyes had been roaming the room the whole time though. "I will let you tell the students who their partner for the week will be."

Professor Snape came forward, distaste obvious on his face, and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment from his robes. Sighing, he unrolled it and started calling out names.

"Vincent Crabbe, Seamus Finnigan," Snape said in a bored voice. Seamus cringed without even turning around to look at Crabbe, who still looked as clueless as ever.

"Warren Quinn, Colin Creevey."

_Please not Draco,_ Ginny thought fiercely.

"Aidan Tulson, Dean Thomas."

"Alan Howry, Dennis Creevey," Snape monotonously said, obviously reading the names from a pre-planned list.

"Gregory Goyle, Ron Weasley." Ginny had to suppress a snort of laughter at the look on Ron's face; he looked half stunned, half ready to murder Snape for suggesting such a thing. Ginny quickly became sober, however, as she remembered who was left to be partnered.

_Please not Draco, please not Draco, please not Draco, please not Draco,_ Ginny desperately pleaded, her eyes shut tight. _Please not Draco…_

"Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter."

_Yes!_ Ginny smiled triumphantly, her eyes snapping open; her smile quickly faded though. _But that only leaves-_

"Blaise Zabini, Ginny Weasley."

_Why me?_ Ginny asked herself, sinking in her seat. Slowly she turned to look back at Blaise and saw a similar look of dread on his face.

_Looks like Zabini's going to get a rematch in our glaring contest.

* * *

_

After the teachers had dismissed the students, Ginny followed her friends silently back to the Gryffindor common room. Everybody was silent as they traipsed through the corridors, depressed at the recent turn of events. The few students that remained in the hallways stared at them curiously; no doubt everyone was wondering what sort of punishment they had received. Well, they'll know by tomorrow, thought Ginny grimly. She started to wonder how eating breakfast with Blaise was going to work when Harry started speaking.

"Look, guys," he said, turning to face them, "I'm really sorry about what happened. I didn't expect for any of it to turn out like this and I certainly expect anyone to get hurt," he said, his eyes meeting Ginny's. Surprisingly, Ginny didn't receive the familiar fluttery feeling she usually did when their eyes met. "I was just caught up in the moment and wasn't thinking," he concluded. Remorse was visible not only on his face, but in  
his voice as well.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Ginny said, proffering a small smile.

"Yeah," Seamus chimed in, trying to cheer Harry up, "we've spent seven years with the Slytherins; I doubt a little extra will kill us."

Harry glanced back and forth between his teammates and friends, his eyes still containing worry at what had happened. As everybody else agreed with what Seamus said, Harry started to relax some.

When they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ginny thought back again to what the next week was going to be like. Now that the initial moment of the teachers pairing them off was gone, Ginny almost regretted that she wasn't going to be with Draco. At least she had already been on speaking terms with that Slytherin and somewhat knew how to deal with him. All the others were a mystery to her and she didn't know how she, or Blaise Zabini for that matter, would handle the situation.

* * *

Draco and his teammates remained as surly as ever as they tramped into Slytherin House. Especially Draco. A whole week spent with Potter? And the chances of that turning out well were.? Zero.

Seething with anger, Draco stomped to his room and slammed the door shut behind him. Crabbe, Goyle, nor Zabini would dare come in when they knew Draco was this angry; they had learned from experience. One time in the fourth year Draco had shut himself in his room right after Potter had been chosen for the Triwizard Tournament, and when Goyle had come up to get a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Draco had sent him a look so threatening that Goyle had nearly wet himself. That had been the last time any of them dared to bother him.

Draco sat heavily on his bed, his face a hard mask of barely-controlled rage. In an outburst of energy, he reached over to the nightstand beside his bed and grabbed a small glass ball that rested in its holder; he fingered it in the palm of his hand momentarily before hurling it across the room where it smashed against the wall. Tiny shards of glass clinked to the floor and scattered across it; Draco stared at it, wishing it would disappear like he so longed to do. A fountain of emotions swelled within him, threatening to drown him under its waves of despair, and Draco fought hard to keep the tears from coming to his eyes.

_Why…_he thought desperately, staring at the garbled remains of glass.

_Why is my life so difficult while others have it easy?  
_  
As he sighed, he dropped his head down, staring at his lap, his shoulders hunched over dejectedly.  
_  
Why do I have all this pain?_

The tears welled within his silver eyes and he determinedly refrained from blinking so as to keep them from falling. Perhaps, if no tears fell, his life would miraculously get better. Draco knew it wasn't true, but it was something for him to hold on to, to believe in, to hope for.

_What did I do to deserve this?_

Angrily Draco thought of all the people who had wronged him over the years, of everybody who had inflicted so much suffering upon him. Voldemort, Harry Potter, his mother and father…

_It's not fair…_

A single tear slid from his eye and down his cheek, leaving a wet trail behind it. Blinking furiously, he wiped it away along with the rest of the unshed tears.

Draco stood and slowly walked across the room to where the broken glass lay; he stared at it, a blank look now on his face. His mother had given the glass ball to him for his thirteenth birthday. At the time, Draco hadn't known what to do with it; it had just been a perfectly round, clear, glass sphere about the size of a baseball. So he had set it in its holder on his nightstand where it had remained for four years; Draco had hardly ever thought about it. What was it his mother had told him when she'd given it to him? Draco frowned, remembering his thirteenth birthday.

It had been the summer before his third year at Hogwarts started. Usually he never looked forward to birthdays or Christmases, they were all the same. His parents would give him all the presents a kid could ever want, but there was something more Draco always longed for. Some kind of feeling. He had always overheard the young first years around the holidays...they would actually get _excited._ At first Draco had suspected it was from too much sugar and the anticipation of gifts, but over time, as he experienced his own sense of longing, he realized what it was that got them so excited. It was the feeling they got from being around their families during the holidays. They'd get a certain glow in their eyes that showed that they had family to go home to, that they were loved.

Suddenly Draco had known what he was missing.

Love.

Growing up at Malfoy Manor, he had never spent quality time with either of his parents; they always had had something better to do. So as Draco grew older, every time a holiday or event came around, he'd feel even angrier than before. At the time when he should be happiest and loved the most, it was the complete opposite. He would sink into such a depression that even the House Elves appeared concerned. Yet his parents never noticed. His father was always busy at work or with his fellow Death Eaters, anticipating the return of the Dark Lord. His mother was usually shut away in her room; Draco never knew what she was doing up there, but she'd spend quite a bit of her day in her room. Draco suspected she was doing something that had to do with shopping...or just staying out of his father's way. Another thing that always puzzled Draco was why his parents slept in different bedrooms. He never questioned them about it though.

So when his thirteenth birthday had come about, Draco hadn't felt the usual excitement that comes with the occasion. He still expected the presents, but nothing got his heart racing, his mind whirling. After the House Elves had removed the dinner dishes from their table in the dinning area that night, his father had summoned Dobby into the room with a snap of his fingers. The bumbling elf had appeared pushing a cart stacked high with gifts wrapped in forest green, silver, and dark blue. Draco had ripped off the crinkling paper and opened the boxes without too much enthusiasm.

The night seemed to be coming to an end as it usually did; Draco up in his room doing one thing or another. Just as he had been about to turn out the lights and go to bed, there had been a knock at his door. Confused, Draco had gotten up and walked over to the door; usually nobody came to him this late at night.

To his surprise, his mother had been standing there, looking anxious. Her clothes were ruffled and her normally straight blonde hair disheveled and frizzy, sticking out in different places. Her breathing was slightly heavy and tiny droplets of sweat stuck to her forehead and around her nose. Eyes shining brightly, she pushed past Draco and sat on his bed, resting her head in one hand. The other hand contained a small, square black box. No strings or bows, no fancy wrapping paper, no nothing. The box was simple and plain  
yet for an unknown reason, it appealed to Draco.

"Draco," she had panted, laboring with her breathing, now staring into her lap. Watching her, Draco frowned. He had never seen her like this before; she was always cool and collected, just like his father.

"What do you want?" he had asked, not quite as harshly as he had intended to be, yet still not friendly. His mother's head jerked up at the sound of his voice and Draco stared into her light green eyes, so light they almost seemed gray…almost. There was a look in there that Draco couldn't identify; it was almost as if she was trying to communicate through their eyes.

"Draco, I have...I have something for you," she had said unsteadily, lifting the box towards him. With his brow furrowed, Draco had taken it. "Open it," she had said, sighing slightly with what Draco interpreted was exhaustion.

When he had opened the box, he was even more confused than before. He pulled out a small glass bulb, no bigger than his fist. In the bottom of the box was a triangular black stand that the ball fitted into.

"What is it?" he had asked, trying to hide the curiosity in his voice.

"For - for your birthday," she had said, her mouth twitch, trying to smile. Draco stared; rarely had his mother ever smiled. Something emotion seemed to pass over her face, and she grimaced as if she were in pain; she looked away.

"Well what does it do?" he asked, staring at the ball. It was made of glass yet when he tried to look through it he could never see the other side. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see through it.

"For when you...it's -" his mother stammered, a determined look on her face even though she was looking at the floor. There seemed to be a rumble of anger deep within her throat and a furious expression crossed her face.

Uncertainly, Draco stepped backwards, afraid that she might suddenly jump and attack him. When Draco moved, his mother jerked her head back to him and the angry look was gone. "Just keep it, will you?" she asked, grimacing once again. New beads of sweat appeared on her face and some of her hair stuck on her forehead. "It's important."

"How?" Draco asked, now thoroughly confused. And curious, an emotion he rarely felt.

"Trust me," she had said, almost pleadingly. "Someday…you'll - you'll unders-st-stand," she said, her speech becoming even more slurred and choppy. Draco frowned at her uncertainly.

"I have to go," she said, standing abruptly. She paused before heading towards the door and looked at Draco almost...was that_ longing_ he saw in her eyes? One of her hands slowly lifted in the air as if she was about to reach out towards Draco, but it came to a rest in the air about eye level. Her head shook slightly as she gazed at him and slowly her arm lowered.

Without another word, she hurried out of the room. Draco, slightly stunned, stared at the door that had been left ajar. The glass ball was still clutched in his hand which was hanging loosely at his side. Slowly he sat down on his bed and fingered the ball. He tossed it in the air a few times but he could see nothing significant about it. So he sat it in its holder next to his bed and readied for bed.

He had lain awake staring that "gift". It was a long while before he had finally, exhausted, fallen asleep.

In the morning, his mother had acted the same as always. At one of the rare breakfasts in which he and his parents ate together, she calmly sat at the table, silent as always. Draco said nothing about the night before and neither did she. Life continued on as normal.

For a few days, the ball perplexed Draco; when it came time to return to school, he had unconsciously packed it in his trunk and from then on, he left it at school. It had sat on his nightstand collecting dust for almost four years now.

Draco blinked at the shards of glass that lay on the floor of his dormitory room. Bending down, he fingered through the broken pieces, almost regretting what he had done. His face wrinkled as he stared at the broken remains of perhaps the only true gift he had ever received, even if he had absolutely no idea what it was.

A piece of something white stuck in the middle of the glass caught Draco's eye. Frowning, Draco leaned forward on his knees and brushed some of the glass away. Lying in it was a tiny slip of paper.

His frown deepening, Draco picked up the paper and unfolded it, his eyes quickly scanning its contents. After reading the first few lines, he dropped the paper in shock and fell back on his hands, staring with wide eyes at the heap of glass upon which rested a most disturbing letter.

_It can't be…_

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**A/N: **Woot! I got a chapter up super duper soon! And I worked hard on it so I hope all of you will review! (hint hint) Ummm, what else. Oh yes...I was inspired for this chapter while listenting to the enchanting Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Anybody ever heard of them? You should, they're awesome. Anyway, I'm not traditionally one for using songs in a story, like some people use the lyrics, but there are two songs that I can really picture going in here, but later. So maybe I'll do that. Idk. I'm rambling. It's late. Read. Review. Enjoy.

Lauren


	18. What Lucius Did

Sorry for the long wait, but I was taking a slight break. Hopefully a well-earned one. Anyway, thank you guys so much for all those reviews! I got lots more than usual on that chapter. You guys rock! And just to say thank you, I tried to make this chapter a tad bit longer. And it is longer than the last one by about 3 pages. I guess it's not much, but it's all I could do.

Now, what you've all been waiting for. Draco's letter...DUN DUN DUN DUN! lol

Dislcaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

**Chapter 18: What Lucius Did**

The sky held neither moon nor stars thanks to the black clouds that veiled them like a cloak. The cold December night was filled with snow as the tiny flakes sprinkled their way upon the ground. A slight breeze blew through the snow-laden trees, playfully knocking clumps of snow onto the forest floor below.

Inside the walls of Hogwarts, students slept in their beds. The people in the portraits hanging on the walls snoozed dreamily, an occasional snore escaping their lips. The suits of armor stood as erect and watchful as ever. Mrs. Norris suspiciously trotted along the dark hallway near the fourth floor, searching for students trying to escape curfew. Unbeknownst to the cat, a prowler was indeed awake and about.

A dark figure stalked through the halls, cloak billowing backwards. "It didn't work," were the words uttered softly in the dark corridors. "I have to try again."

_Wait,_ said an inner voice. _The time is not right. Wait…_

The shadow halted and considered the advice. "Perhaps I _should_ wait," he pondered "For a time, perhaps I should."

_Yes,_ said the voice dangerously. _Wait…_

Eyes shifted quickly, scurrying about the hallways and trying to decipher if there were any other signs of life. When none were detected, the mysterious figure continued on. "If it were to be attempted again, I would have to be more careful. Last time was too close of a call."

A sudden noise up ahead caused the shadow to pause warily. There was a banging from somewhere above. The person slowly looked up at the ceiling only to hear the clanging change directions, heading forwards. Without moving, the person waited to see what happened. The noise continued, getting louder and louder, closer and closer.

Right before the mysterious person was about to step into the shadows to hide, something appeared in the distance ahead. A small man was bobbing along in the air, cackling merrily as he banged his fists on the walls and causing several portraits to wake up and start shouting at him.

Peeves.

When the poltergeist saw the mysterious stranger standing in the hallway, he grinned and approached, dancing a little jig in the air.

"And what would you be doing up and about at this hour?" he asked; there was no suspicion in his voice, merely curiosity. "You of all people should know that-"

"Quiet, Peeves," the stranger hissed. "I am merely about on business."

"Business, you say?" Peeves asked, raising one of his eyebrows high on his forehead. "And what would that be? Not getting into any trouble, are we? Peevesie just wuvs twouble," he said in a baby voice.

"Mind your own business, Peeves, and get out of here," the stranger said, voice becoming darker and darker with each syllable uttered. Peeves, however, didn't notice and kept on coming towards the shadowy finger, wagging his finger in the stranger's face and starting one of his annoying songs.

"Everybody knows that the one with the nose and the crinkled up toes never gets the-"  
Peeves never got to finish his song for at that moment a jet of dark blue light hit him full in the face.

"Mutemorphe," the stranger muttered, pointing a wand straight at Peeve's face. The poltergeist froze and then slowly, dark blue globs started trickling down his face. As the blue substance made its way down the poltergeist's face, the face went with it. Gradually Peeves melted until he was nothing but a dark blue blob on the ground. The blue swirled together momentarily, quaking as it rose up one foot off the ground. After a moment, the blueness shuddered to a stop in the form of a box.

The stranger, giddy with glee, hopped forward happily and peered down at Peeves, who was now in the form of a dark blue square. Protruding from the top of the square was a face that was shaped eerily like Peeves's. The poltergeist's face was frozen in an expression that looked like a small child pouting.

The shadowy figure, after a brief outburst of manic happiness, calmed down and became serious once more.

"I just love being me," the voice said quietly. "And who would've thought that it _does_ work. Now back to business."

_Just remember to wait for the opportune moment,_ the little voice repeated.

"I will."

The shadowy figure continued down the hall and into the darkness, leaving behind a very blue, very Peeves-like box.

* * *

In the Slytherin common room, the embers of the fire glowed dimly in the late night. No light poured in through the windows that night. The only person that was awake and sitting in the room was Draco Malfoy. In his hand he clutched a letter, one which changed everything. Draco's eyes were glued to the letter and he tapped his fingers against it, rereading it over and over again. Already he had read the letter about fifty times and almost all of it was memorized, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from reading it again.

_Dear Draco,_

_I hope this letter finds you safely and that you can read it away from prying eyes; it would not do us good if certain people found out about it. I, your mother, have written this letter in the hopes that one day you would discover it and be able to solve a problem…a problem which has been going on since the day you were born. If you are not already sitting, perhaps now would be a good time to do so._

_You see, ever since your birth, I have been under the Imperious curse. I know this may come as a shock to you, but please let me explain._

_You may perceive me as a cold-hearted woman who does not care for anybody but myself, but please believe me when I say that isn't true. At first when I married your father, things went wondrously. I believed that I had found the perfect man in Lucius and that I would live happily ever after. Oh, how naïve I was. Your father, with all his charm and good looks, tricked me into thinking that he loved me. Soon after our marriage, however, I found him to be cruel, merciless, and violent at times. I shuddered in fear all day and cowered in the night, trying to plan an escape; but your father kept a close watch on me._

_Then one day I discovered that I was pregnant with you, and when Lucius also learned of this, he locked me in my room. He wanted me to give birth to a son, one who would one day be able to follow him with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I prayed every night that you would be still-born when I gave birth, but only because I wanted to save my child from the suffering that was sure to be his if he was ever born. But that, as you know, didn't happen. I gave birth to a beautiful, health baby boy…you, Draco. Your father, in probably one of his only true acts of kindness, allowed me to name you. What he didn't know, though, was that I was already planning our escape. I was going to try to flee from Malfoy Manor and start new lives for the both of us. Lucius caught me though, and that was when he decided to place me under the Imperious curse._

_For many years I was delirious with the painless joy that the curse brought; I was a prisoner in my own mind. But I became stronger with each day that passed. One morning I awoke with a feeling I hadn't felt in years: control. I was able to walk where I wanted to go and do what I wished. It was then that I started fighting the curse. Stronger and stronger I became until I could almost rid myself of it entirely. _

_And then I saw you, for the first real time in years. You were five years old, and already I could see that Lucius had worked hard on you, turning you into what I feared most. I knew that if I didn't act quickly, you would be lost from me forever. Lucius was too smart though. He soon discovered that I was rid of his curse and placed me under a stronger one. I still had to do what he willed with the curse, but this time I was able to think clearly and was aware of my surroundings. I watched you grow up for eight years without ever really knowing you. Yes, there were times when we talked, but all that came out of my mouth first came from Lucius's mind. None of what I said ever had any meaning, any substance. I know that we have hurt you; I have watched Lucius do so many times. I have seen the physical pain he has caused you and every time I wanted to scream out loud with frustration. All I did though was make it worse, if that was possible. I turned away and left you with him; I acted like I didn't care. Oh but I did, Draco. I did._

_I have probably hurt you in the worst way that a mother can hurt a child. I have acted like I didn't love you and to you, I didn't. You have grown up not really knowing what love is. I fear that that is going to come back to haunt not only me, but you as well. And for that I am truly and deeply sorry._

_But recently, I have become stronger again. When I am alone, I can sometimes even throw the curse completely off myself. However, when I am in the company of your father, I abandon my control and he believes me to still be none-the-wiser. Repelling the Imperious curse does come without a price though. The physical stress of resisting it, even as I write this letter, is nearly intolerable. It's hard to describe, but it can be painful at times, I get cold and shaky, and I always feel exhausted._

_Tomorrow is your thirteenth birthday; I can hardly believe that you are getting so old. It seems as if just yesterday I gave birth to you. Though, time does pass awfully quickly when under the Imperious curse. Tonight I am going to seal this letter in a glass bulb which may, to you, look like an ordinary ball, but it is not. It has been in my side of the family for generations and even Lucius does not know about it; the magic in it will not work until this letter is extracted from it though. All you have to do is hold the ball in your hands and say the name of anybody you wish to see, and they will be shown to you. As long as there is contact between the glass and your skin, the image will hold. Think of this as a birthday present…one to make up for thirteen years of not being there for you. Now I can be there whenever you wish it. My only hope is that you will one day forgive me…forgive me for all I have done, but mostly for what I have not done. And what I have not done is been a mother to you._

_Hopefully one day we will be reunited and can start over. Perhaps one day when the Dark Lord is destroyed for good and his Death Eaters gotten rid of, including Lucius Malfoy. I do not regret marrying your father now, Draco. If I hadn't, then I wouldn't have you. Please Draco, do not become him. In a way, he is worse that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Everybody knows the Dark Lord for what he is and he does not try to hide it. But your father hurts just as many people while they go on believing him to be innocent. He hides from the world, but mostly he hides from himself. _

_Please do not make the same mistake as your father and become one of them, Draco. I know that somewhere inside you is a voice telling you that what your father is and does is wrong in every sense. Please listen to that voice, Draco; it is your heart speaking to you. Often that inner voice tells us what is right and what should be done but we ignore it. We fear the goodness that will come not because we fear good things themselves, but of losing that good. But don't you see, Draco? If you ignore that voice, then you will become just like your father. _

_Follow your heart, Draco, and trust it fully. Do that and everything will be alright._

_With all the love in my heart,_

_Your mother._

Draco sighed and closed his eyes. Even though it had been a few hours since he had discovered the letter, he couldn't stop his mind's reeling with the information. How could this be? His whole life he had believed himself to have two terrible parents. Now he was just supposed to believe he only had one and that his mother really loved him?

Could this possibly be some sort of sick joke? Did his father think this funny? Then Draco thought back to the night he had received the ball and letter. His mother _had _been acting oddly that night. And it would make sense how she was her normal self the next morning. Lucius must have found her resisting the Imperious curse and placed it on her again. But Draco had never seen his mother act that way again. Not the way she had that night when giving him his present.

After Draco had read the letter the first time, he had repaired the glass ball with a mere flick of his wand, but he had yet to see if it really worked as the letter said it should. He had placed it back in its usual spot and came downstairs. Not that the common room was more comfortable, but he could be alone there. It had been late and all the boys had come up to bed, intruding on Draco's solitude.

Stifling a yawn, Draco stood from the hard couch he had been sitting in and stretched slightly before heading for the boys' staircase. When he reached his room, he silently walked to his bed and with a few glances at the forms of the other sleeping boys, he sat on his bed. He grabbed the glass ball from its stand on the night table and fingered it carefully. When one of the others, probably Crabbe, snored, he pulled the curtains around his bed shut.

Sitting cross-legged in the dark, he turned the ball every which way in his hand. He closed his eyes and said softly "Narcissa Malfoy." Draco opened his eyes to see a soft light glowing from somewhere in the middle of the ball. Squinting and peering closer, he saw that an image was forming from the middle of the light. At first the image was fuzzy but it soon became clear. Draco gasped and almost dropped the ball in surprise that it actually worked, but instead he focused his attention on the woman in the picture.

In the ball, Draco saw an image of a room, one which he recognized. He had only seen it a few times when he was younger, but he knew it to be his mother's room at Malfoy Manor. A blonde-haired woman, Narcissa, was sitting on a windowsill and looking out the window, longing in her face. This was one of the few times Draco had seen her looking like this and at once he knew the letter to be true. Instead of the usual cold-faced Narcissa, this one had a kind look in her eyes. This Narcissa looked capable of love.

Tiny tears formed in the corners of Draco's eyes at the sight of her. She was staring out the window up at the stars, gazing at the moon. Draco wondered what she was thinking of right then. _Probably of me,_ he thought, stunned.

Though he didn't want to, Draco laid the ball down on his bed; at once the image vanished. _So it's true, _Draco thought. He sighed again with weariness. It was late and tomorrow was going to be one busy day; his punishment, along with the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch players and the whole Gryffindor teams', started in the morning. He'd need all the rest he could get.

Draco opened the curtains a crack and placed the glass ball in its holder again. Briefly he fingered his letter and stared at its slightly yellowed edges. Setting it on the nightstand next to his bed, he laid on his side and stared at it until he fell asleep.

* * *

Grumbling slightly, Ginny turned over in bed and bright sunlight hit her closed eyes, making her roll the other way. After a few minutes of trying to ignore the sounds of the other girls in her dorm getting ready for the day, Ginny finally sat up. Today was going to be the start of a horrible week. Probably one of Ginny's worst. Today was the day that she was to be paired with Blaise Zabini, and she'd be stuck with him for the whole day. _I don't think I've ever been excited for classes,_ Ginny thought. _At least then I won't have to be with him._

When Ginny walked down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, she saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione all sitting on the couch. The former two were staring out the window with looks of dread on their faces while Hermione merely sported an "I told you so" kind of look as she skimmed through her favorite book, _Hogwarts a History._ Ginny sighed when she reached them and Harry and Ron looked up at her glumly.

"Suppose we should go, huh?" Ron asked with his chin in his hands. Ginny nodded mutely.

"Might as well get this day over with," she said, trying and failing to smile.

"I'm going to be stuck with _Goyle_ all day," Ron thought in horror; his mouth contorted to a look of utmost disgust and helplessness.

"Well I've got Mr. Sunshine," Harry said sarcastically as he, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all shuffled out of the portrait of the Fat Lady. "I think Snape put me with Malfoy on purpose, I honestly do."

Ginny remained silent as she listened to Ron and Harry discuss who was worse: Draco Malfoy or Gregory Goyle. "He's a lump of mashed potatoes is what he is, Harry," Ron said; Ginny giggled slightly at her brother's description of Goyle.

"Well at least the two of you will have each other all day," Ginny said, her smile quickly fading. "You all have the same classes and such, but I'm in a different year than all of you. This is going to be terrible!" she flailed her arms out in the air to emphasize her point; this movement caused a group of second years to her left to jump out of her way.

"So just come back to the Gryffindor common room after classes," Ron said, shrugging his shoulder. "That's what I'm doing…I'm going to drag him there if I have to." He didn't need to point out who "him" was; Ginny already knew.

"But do you really want Goyle_ or_ Malfoy, or any other Slytherin for that matter, in our house?" Ginny asked. "I mean, they'll probably wreck the place or something."

"Well it's better than going to the Slytherin house," Ron said, suppressing a shiver. Harry nodded. "We've been there before, Gin, and it's not pretty. Trust me."

The four people walked into the Great Hall and Ginny glanced around the room. So far, there were hardly any Slytherins at their table, only a few whom she didn't recognize. Sighing with relief, Ginny rushed over to the Gryffindor table, sat down, and started piling food onto her plate quickly. Maybe if she ate fast enough, she could get out of there before Zabini showed up. Maybe she could get to class before she even saw him. Harry and Ron seemed to have a similar idea because after they sat across from Ginny, they immediately started piling their plates with food as well. Hermione took a seat next to Ginny and for a moment, Ginny wondered why her friend was being so silent. Usually she'd be saying something about how they deserved what they got, or something about "reaping what you sow".

Just as Ginny had a mouthful of eggs in her mouth, she saw Harry and Ron look past her to the entrance to the Great Hall. She could tell by the looks of dread on their face who was standing back there. Without turning around, she swallowed her eggs and slumped down in her seat, continuing to eat.

A thump to her right made Ginny looked over; she made sure a scowl was firmly in place before doing so. Blaise Zabini, the tall and dark-haired Slytherin, sat down heavily in the seat next to Ginny and scooted as far away as he could. Without a word, he grabbed a piece of plain toast and shoved it in his mouth, looking anywhere but at the Gryffindors he was surrounded by.

In another moment, Gregory Goyle sidled to a stop behind Ron and Harry and placed one hand on Ron's shoulder and one on Harry's. With one mighty move, he shoved the two Gryffindors apart and took a seat in between them. As if he had just been pooped on by a bird, Ron brushed his shoulder where Goyle had touched it and looked warily at him. Harry turned away from the mass of Goyle next to him but recoiled when a very silent, very deadly-looking Draco Malfoy appeared at his left. Harry took on an expression that seemed to ask "Why me?" and continued eating his breakfast.

Ginny had no idea where Dean, Seamus, Colin, or Dennis were, but she didn't really care at the moment. Right then, all she wanted was for Blaise to keep his distance. So far, none of the Slytherins had said anything and Ginny wished for it to remain that way.

Ginny looked up and directly across from her sat Draco. His head was down and he was staring straight into his bowl of corn flakes. Ginny couldn't see his face but she could tell that his eyes were narrowed by the angle his eyebrows were pointing. Actually, Ginny was surprised at how well the Slytherins were agreeing to sit at their table; she had expected a great argument over where they were to sit. She had a nasty feeling, however, that it wasn't going to be as easy come the next meal.

The young Gryffindor girl knew that probably everybody in the hall was staring at them as they ate; Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter eating together? Heck, _all_ those Slytherins eating with Gryffindors? They must be in total shock. Ginny looked up at the head table and saw that Professor Dumbledore was looking at them approvingly. McGonagall was patrolling the isles carefully, making sure that everybody was obeying rules and such.

Avoiding having her elbow touch Blaise's, Ginny shifted closer to Hermione and pushed her plate back, now finished eating. As was a habit of hers, Ginny stretched her legs out under the table; she quickly pulled them back when they bumped into a pair of feet across from her. Immediately Ginny knew whose feet they belonged to. Draco, in response to the touch of her feet, looked up and Ginny gasped silently at the look in his eyes. Normally they would be a mask of cold steel but at the moment, they looked pain-filled and troubled. In an instant the look was gone, replaced by one as menacing as ever. Ginny resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

Harry also soon finished eating. He leaned back and looked around Goyle's back to Ron who was doing the same. They nodded silently and stood from the seat, turning to walk out of the Great Hall. In a flash, Professor McGonagall appeared at their side.

"Where do you think you are going, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley?" she asked in a terse voice.

"To class?" Ron asked weakly. _Looks like they're not going to escape that easily, _Ginny thought.

"Mr. Goyle and Mr. Malfoy have not finished eating yet," their Transfiguration teacher stated. "Please take you seats."

"But-" Harry started to protest.

"Take your seats," she repeated sternly. "Now, as we told you last night, you will do everything with your partners. That means you wait until _they_ are finished eating as well before going _anywhere._ Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry and Ron replied in unison. Dejectedly they sat down again.

Ginny glanced at her watch and sighed. If she didn't hurry, she was going to be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts. She tapped her foot on the floor impatiently, trying to alert Blaise of her annoyance. The seventh year Slytherin did nothing. Ginny increased the rate of her tapping and stared hard at the side of his head. Harry and Ron looked at her questioningly and even Goyle paused from shoveling bacon and sausage into his mouth long enough to look her way; yet Blaise did nothing.

Clearing her throat loudly, Ginny turned her tapping into light stomping and started rolling her fingers on the table. Slowly Blaise's head turned towards her and Ginny stopped, a triumphant grin on her face.

"Do you _mind?_" he snapped at her, scowling. "I'm trying to eat."

"Well I'm going to be late for class if you don't hurry," Ginny said defiantly.

"So?" he asked casually. Ginny stared in indignation as he grabbed a platter of scrambled eggs and helped himself to a large enough portion that would make Crabbe and Goyle proud.

"You can't eat all that now!" Ginny exclaimed, noticing how slowly he was chewing each bite. "I'm going to be late!"

"Well I have a free period now and if you don't mind," Blaise said, "I'd like to enjoy it."

"Yes I do mind," Ginny said. When Blaise continued to eat, Ginny's anger surfaced. How dare he? Ginny reached over and tried to pry the plate of eggs away from Blaise, but he swatted her hands away.

"What's wrong with you?" he shouted, looking at her as if she was about to bite him. "Are you crazy? I'm trying to eat."

"I'm going to be late!" she screamed back at him. "I refuse to be tardy so you better finish eating _now_ or stop so I can leave!" Ginny panted with suppressed anger and her eyes seemed to bore holes in Blaise's face.

Draco glanced up with a raised eyebrow at what was going on and a tiny, familiar smirk crept up his face. After a moment though, it disappeared and he merely watched in silence. Blaise continued to stare at Ginny.

"Well fine then, leave," Blaise said. "I don't really care."

_Good,_ Ginny thought. _Looks like rage does pay…_

Harry and Ron staring at her, as well as mostly everybody in the Great Hall, Ginny rose from her seat and quickly hurried out of the room.

* * *

Ginny was sullenly walking through the halls as the last class of the day ended for her. _Today was a nightmare,_ she thought bleakly. Lunch had been horrible. When the teachers had dismissed them for lunch, Ginny had tentatively entered the Great Hall in the hopes of sneaking past the teachers to her own table. But, alas, her luck was not that good. As soon as she entered the hall her arm was grabbed by none other than Ron, who was moodily following Harry, who was even more angrily following Draco Malfoy towards the Slytherin table. Ginny had brushed Ron's hand off her arm and followed them as well.

The three Gryffindors had tried sitting together on one side of the table as their partners sat across from them, but Snape had soon approached them and made them sit next to each other, much to Ginny's displeasure. That act had earned Snape a tongue sticking out at his back by Ginny herself.

She had escaped from the Great Hall and rushed to class as soon as she could. However, she had not missed the speech Professor Dumbledore had given the students during lunch.

Apparently, someone had succeeded in jinxing Peeves, the school's resident poltergeist. Ginny grinned at the memory. Dumbledore had held up a dark blue box that looked ordinary except that Peeve's face was imprinted on the top of it. The whole school had had a merry laugh at the sight; almost everybody disliked Peeves. Dumbledore had asked anybody with any information about it to come to him. As far as Ginny knew, nobody had.

_I'll have to thank whoever did that,_ she thought.

"Miss Weasley," called a voice through the crowded hallway and Ginny halted. Whimpering slightly, she turned around only to see Professor McGonagall fighting her way through the students towards her. Obviously the Transfiguration teacher was having trouble getting through, because she frustratingly called out "Everybody move!" which had ended up in everybody in the hall scooting aside for her.

"Where is Mr. Zabini?" McGonagall asked as she approached him, straightening her robe.

"I don't know," Ginny asked.

"Well I suggest you find him at once," McGonagall said strictly. "Otherwise it does you – oh here he is now." Ginny groaned and turned to follow her teacher's gaze, which was directed behind Ginny. Much to Ginny's annoyance, she saw Blaise Zabini sulking towards them.

"Now I'll leave the two of you and see how the others are doing," Minerva McGonagall stated breathlessly. "I expect to see you both come down to dinner _together_," she emphasized. "You should be spending the remainder of the afternoon together since there are no more classes. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Ginny said glumly. Blaise barely nodded.

After McGonagall left, Ginny was left standing awkwardly in the hallway with Blaise. Some students looked at them curiously but all remained quiet. Ginny shifted her feet and looked questioningly at Blaise. Abruptly he turned and strode down the hall.

"Where are you going?" Ginny called after him irritably.

"Library," was all she got in response. Sighing, Ginny followed him.

* * *

Two hours later, Ginny felt ready to strangle Blaise. She had silently been trying to study for a History of Magic test that was coming up and Blaise kept popping bubbles with Droobles Best Blowing Gum. Surpressing a growl of rage, Ginny slammed her book down on the table and screeched "Do you mind?" That earned her a stern look from Madame Pince.

"Not really," Blaise said casually, flicking his wand through the air. Ginny glanced at a fly that started doing cartwheels in the air thanks to it.

"Don't do that," Ginny said, leaning back in her seat and propping her book against the table.

"You can't tell me what to do," Blaise said. He popped a bubble extraordinarily loudly and Ginny felt a bit of bubblegum fling itself onto her nose.

"That's it," Ginny said angrily. After wiping the bit of gum off her nose, she stood and towered over Blaise, who paused with another bubble already blown. "You stop with those bubbles right now or I'll curse you. I swear I will," Ginny exclaimed, a maddened glint appearing in her eye. Blaise looked uncertain for a moment and was about to reply when they were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Weasley," said a voice that could only belong to Draco Malfoy. And sure enough, the blonde-haired Slytherin approached their table with Harry beside him. Ginny had never seen Harry control his anger as well as he was doing at the moment. And at the moment, he looked ready to kill Malfoy.

"And why not, ferret boy?" Ginny retorted. "I'm sure you remember that bat bogey hex. I could easily place one on you too."

Draco reddened slightly but otherwise remained quiet. "Don't even think about it."

Harry took a seat next to Ginny while Draco sat beside Blaise. The four looked at each other for several minutes, seeming to size each other up. Finally Harry turned to Ginny.

"How's it been going, Gin?" he asked, still breathing heavily through his anger.

"Fine enough," she said tersely. "You?"

Harry shook his head angrily, now staring at Malfoy. "That git placed the Tarantellegra jinx on me," he said through gritted teeth. A grin exploded on Draco's face and he turned and high-fived Blaise.

"I never knew you could dance so well, Potter," he jeered. "Did those muggles give you dancing lessons or something?" He and Blaise started laughing harder. Harry jerked out his wand but Ginny placed her hand on his warningly.

"Don't, Harry; you'll only get into trouble," she said. The Slytherins stopped laughing and Blaise looked smugly at them.

"Look, Draco," he said, "now Potter's got a girl fighting for him." This caused both Slytherins to burst out laughing again and Harry to stand up threateningly.

"Just let it go, Harry," Ginny said exasperated, but Harry was listening.

"No, Ginny, I've had enough," he said forcefully. He had just opened his mouth to send a curse towards both Draco and Blaise when a crash from behind one of the bookshelves caused all four students to turn around quickly.

Aidan Tulson was lying on the ground, a book clutched in one hand. His brown hair was covering half of his face but a look of anger was still visible. One of his feet was still resting on the stool that he had just moments before been standing on. Dean Thomas popped his head out from around the bookshelf, a grin planted on his face.

"Woops," he said innocently, shrugging his shoulders; then he faced Aidan. "Sorry, were you standing on that stool?" he asked, his eyes open wide in feigned ignorance.

Aidan Tulson growled and stood up, reaching for his wand. Ginny had had enough for one day. Before a full-blown duel erupted between the Slytherins and Gryffindors that were in the library, Ginny stood on a chair and all eyes were immediately drawn to her.

"Enough of this!" she cried in frustration. "All of you just shut up and stop trying to curse each other!" Harry looked at her in surprise and even the Slytherins seemed startled by her outburst. "I know you hate each other and I can see why anybody would want to curse you," she said, directing the last bit towards Draco in particular, "but if we start fighting then we'll never get out of this punishment. So all of you just stop acting like babies and either tolerate each other or get away from me. I don't need more trouble."

Ginny sat down them, slightly embarrassed by her tirade. But honestly, those boys needed it, acting the way they were. _I'll never understand the male species,_ she thought. As if nothing out of the ordinary had just taken place, Ginny picked up her book and continued to read, casually humming a tune.

The rest of the boys slowly started reading a book; even Harry seemed rather unsure what to do now. Ginny grinned behind her book, for once glad that she had inherited her mother's temper.

* * *

Dinner came all too soon for Draco that evening. After Ginny's tirade in the library earlier, he and Harry had settled down a bit, though they sent each other threatening looks every now and then.

As Draco sat in the Great Hall, surrounded by Gryffindors, he chewed his chicken casserole thoughtfully. Did the House Elves serve the Gryffindors better food? He couldn't be sure, but something tasted better than it usually did. He elbowed Harry next to him once for good measure and continued with his thoughts.

So far that day, Draco had been trying to put the thought of his mother out of his mind. He was still trying to get used to the idea that she had been under the Imperious curse all these years. The though of it made his blood boil; how could his father have cheated him out of the one thing that every person was supposed to have?

Draco wasn't quite sure what he was going to do about the situation, but he knew he couldn't just let it pass unattended to.

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**A/N:** So, did you guys like it? Was it what you were expecting? Better than you were expecting? Worse? Yay? Nay? Huh huh huh? Lol I'm just anxious to know what you think. So let me know!

Lauren


	19. Dates

Sorry for the really long wait, but I had zero time to get on the computer. I'd get on, write for about 10 minutes, then have to get off. But I gave you guys a really really really really really long chapter. It's 23 whole pages! And 10,602 words! Lol you better enjoy it!

Dislcamer: I can't come up with any original dislcaimers, so let's just say that I don't own this, alright?

**Chapter 19: Dates**

Two days of the punishment had passed. Thankfully, few serious incidents had occurred because of it. Ginny and Blaise had stuck to being silent around each other and staying in the library after classes. Sometimes Ron, Harry, or the other Gryffindors would be in there with their partner, but usually they were outside or somewhere else in the castle.

That Friday evening, Ginny was sitting upstairs on her bed with Hermione, who had been in Ginny's dorm trying to talk her into going to the ball all night long. Ginny was putting up a decent fight.

"Oh come on, Ginny," Hermione coaxed, sitting on the red-haired, Gryffindor girl's bed. "You have to go to the ball; it'll be fun!"

"Oh no it won't, Hermione," Ginny moaned, sitting on the bed. "It'll just be a way to embarrass myself even more in front of the school." Ginny flopped backwards on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Besides," Ginny continued, "Har—nobody's asked me to go yet and there's absolutely no point in me going alone to just stand there and be a wallflower all night. Nope, I won't do it." Ginny shook her head resolutely.

"Yes you will, Ginny," Hermione said, her tone becoming more serious. "You need to have some fun and this will be just the way."

"Hermione," Ginny said, sitting up and looking at her friend, "I've made up my mind. And besides," she added with a slight pout, "I have fun."

"Oh yeah?" Hermione said, raising her eyebrows. She folded her arms across her chest. "When was the last time you did something fun?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and combed through her mind to find the last time she had had fun. Surprisingly, precious few memories turned up. "When I played Quidditch," Ginny settled for saying.

"Ginny," Hermione said exasperatedly, "don't you remember how that turned out? You were in the Hospital Wing for-"

"Not that time," Ginny said hurriedly. "The time where we played a real game was fun."

"Sports don't count," Hermione said.

"Well I don't care," Ginny persisted. "I don't have a dress or anything. And, most importantly, I don't have a _date._ There's no point in going without one."

"But Ginny you have to go," Hermione said. If Ginny wasn't mistaken, she detected a bit of urgency in her friend's voice. Ginny gazed at Hermione suspiciously.

"Why is it so important that I go? And since when did you become so interested in dances, Hermione?" she asked carefully. Hermione stood shiftily and her back straightened. Her fingers nervously started playing with the hem of her shirt and a small smile formed on her face. "Hermione," Ginny said playfully, standing up and walking towards her friend. "What are you not telling me?"

Hermione backed away slightly. "Did someone ask you to the ball?" Ginny asked, her own eyes lighting up. A deep blush crept up Hermione's cheeks and she looked at the floor. "They did, didn't they!" Ginny cried triumphantly.

"Yes," Hermione nodded. She looked up and a huge smile was on her face. In fact, Ginny only saw Hermione this happy when she scored well on a test.

"And why didn't you tell me so earlier?" Ginny demanded like a mother scolding her child. "Well come on, spill everything! Who is he? What House is he in? How old is he? What's he like?"

"Slow down, Ginny," Hermione said, laughing. "I'll tell you everything."

The two girls sat down on Ginny's bed and the redhead settled back in her pillows, glad the attention was off of her going to the ball. She was also happy that Hermione had snagged a date.

"Well he's a seventh year and he's been in my Ancient Runes class for over a year now," Hermione began excitedly. Ginny smiled and stared at her friend in awe; she had never seen Hermione so worked up over a guy before. A brief image of Lavendar Brown and Parvati Patil giggling over guys jumped into her mind but she pushed it aside. "And he's ever so smart, Ginny, he really is," Hermione continued. _That's the Hermione I know, _Ginny thought. _If a guy's got brains, Hermione's attracted to him._

"And his name is…?" Ginny prodded her friend, motioning with her hands for her to continue.

"Oh," Hermione said, blushing slightly again. "Ewan. His name is Ewan Swestan and he's in Ravenclaw." Hermione beamed and continue. "Occasionally we'd talk before or after class and I've always admired the work he does, but just last week we were in the library and he asked me to go to the ball with him, so I said yes."

"I take it you like this guy," Ginny said, watching as Hermione sat with one of Ginny's pillows in her lap. "You sure seem happy."

"Oh I am, Ginny," Hermione said. "I've never actually paid much attention to guys because I was always studying, but now I've found one that likes to work just as much as me!"

"What does he look like?" Ginny asked. She reached for a comb that was sitting on her nightstand and started brushing her hair.

"Well he has the bluest eyes I've ever seen," Hermione said, staring off into space, "and his hair is light brown. It's perfectly straight and it goes just past his ears…" she trailed off, staring into the air. A soft sigh escaped her lips and Ginny tried to stifle her giggles. Hermione was acting very girly, something Ginny wasn't too used to seeing out of her.

"He sounds handsome," Ginny said smugly.

"Very handsome," Hermione said, snapping out of her trance. "But it's not just his looks that I like. He's really smart too! I never thought I'd find a guy that enjoys work as much as me."

"Well there's another Hogsmede trip in two weeks," Ginny said. "We'll go shopping for your dress then."

"Yes," said Hermione, "and we can pick yours out as well because you're coming too."

"Not this again, Hermione," groaned Ginny. "I'll just stay up here and…do homework or something. Besides," she added with a shrug, "I've never been a big dancer before. If I went I'd probably just embarrass myself."

"You're going and that's final," Hermione said firmly. "There's no point in arguing with me Ginny. You're going," Hermione finished matter-of-factly.

"Do I really have to?" Ginny asked, resignation heavy in her voice.

"Yes."

Ginny sighed. "Fine. We can plan on me going _only_ if someone asks me."

"They will," Hermione said, a twinkle in her eye and a small smirk forming on her lips. Ginny was suspicious at once.

"What do you know, Hermione?" she asked, rising to her knees. "Tell me."

"No," Hermione said, now forcefully trying to stop her smile. "I promised I wouldn't."

"Wouldn't what?" Ginny asked desperately. "You promised you wouldn't what?"

"Nope, sorry, Gin," Hermione said. "I can't tell you."

"Is somebody asking about me?" Ginny asked. "Please, Hermione. I have to know."

"Well…" Hermione trailed off uncertainly. "I can tell you that you certainly won't be a wallflower at the dance, Ginny. That's all I'm going to say."

Ginny sat back down and shook her head. "You're killing me, Hermione. You're really killing me."

Hermione laughed and stood up. "Don't worry. He'll be asking soon." She started heading for the door.

"When do we get to meet this new boyfriend of yours?" Ginny asked as Hermione's hand turned the door knob.

"Soon enough," Hermione answered. "And he's not my boyfriend, Ginny." Ginny rolled her eyes. Hermione was halfway out the door when she popped her head back in. "And Ginny?" she asked. Ginny looked expectantly at her. "Don't tell Ron or Harry about Ewan yet, will you?"

"They don't know?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"Remember at the Yule Ball?" Hermione asked. "They didn't know I was going with Victor until they were so desperate to get a date that they asked me themselves. I'll tell them, but I want to be the one to do it."

"Okay," Ginny said. When Hermione left, Ginny frowned and tried to figure out just who was going to ask her to the dance. Her first thought was of Harry. _Aw, I'm not lucky enough for that, _thought Ginny. Perhaps it wasn't even someone she knew. Maybe it was one of Ewan's friends or something. _It could be anybody._

Ginny went to sleep that night, her mind racing with the possibilities of her mysterious admirer.

* * *

The next morning, Ginny woke bright and early. Instead of trying to fall back asleep like she normally would do on a Saturday morning, she sat up excitedly. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had their first Quidditch match this morning, yet that wasn't what she was excited about. Hermione's words echoed through her mind. _He'll be asking soon._

Ginny ferociously played through her list of suspects once more while she took a shower. She did it again as she got dressed. Even as she left Gryffindor House and walked down to breakfast, she kept thinking of who it could be.

As she entered the Great Hall, she glanced around suspiciously, almost as if her mystery guy would be wearing a big sign that said "I'm right here!" The only people in the Great Hall, however, were the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff teams. This still posed a moment of happiness for Ginny; she'd be able to eat a meal without any Slytherins nearby.

Ginny sat at the large, empty Gryffindor table and helped herself to a stack of pancakes. She chewed the fluffy cakes in silence, trying to enjoy her one moment of peace. Today was a weekend and she'd have no rest from Blaise Zabini all day…no classes in which to escape him. _It's going to be a long day,_ she thought.

* * *

An hour later, Ginny was standing in the Quidditch stadium, jumping up and down and cheering as the Ravenclaw team scored its fourth goal of the game. She figured if Hermione was going to be going out with a Ravenclaw, she might as well start cheering for their team. That is, until she played them; then it was a whole other story.

"Would you stop it?" Blaise said irritably from her side. Ginny only jumped higher and screamed louder. "Honestly, Weasley, if you scream one more time I'm going to hit you," Blaise growled. "I don't care if you're a girl; you're going to blow out my bloody ear drum." He rubbed his ear for emphasis. Ginny only stuck out her tongue at him. "That's really immature, you know," he grumbled.

"Oh, and pulling my hair isn't?" she questioned angrily.

"That was during Quidditch and that's different," he countered.

"Well this is during Quidditch too," Ginny stated innocently. She screamed again as one of Ravenclaw's Chasers stole the ball from Hufflepuff.

"I'm warning you, Weasley," Blaise growled.

"Shove off, Zabini," came a male voice from behind them. Ginny turned and saw Colin Creevey and Warren Quinn shuffle their way through the crowds of excited fans over to where Ginny and Blaise were standing. Grateful for somebody other than Blaise to talk to, Ginny smiled at Colin; Warren moved away with Blaise and the two stared moodily at the Gryffindors.

"How's it going, Ginny?" Colin asked.

"You mean aside the fact that we're being forced to be with Slytherins?" Ginny asked, smiling.

"Honestly, Dumbledore sure picked out a heck of a punishment this time," Colin said; Ginny nodded. "Only four more days though. Where's Ron?" she asked after a moment.

"He's with the rest of our team," Colin said. "They all got dragged to the Slytherin stands. Actually, I'm surprised we didn't too."

"I guess we're just lucky," Ginny said. She grabbed the pair of omnioculars she had borrowed from Harry and looked at the other end of the pitch. Sure enough, Harry and Ron were standing next to each other with sour looks on their faces. All around them were Slytherins; she saw three other specks of red and gold amongst the silver and green and quickly spotted Dean, Seamus, and Dennis. She felt sorry for them.

A roaring from the Ravenclaw stands caused Ginny to stop looking through the omnioculars and focus on the game. The Ravenclaw Seeker had just gone into a dive. She held her breath anxiously but let it out as the girl came out of a dive with the winged ball in her hand. She never could remember the girl who had replaced Cho Chang as Seeker for Ravenclaw, but she seemed to be pretty good. Ginny high-fived Colin as Blaise grumbled.

* * *

That evening, Ginny and Colin, along with Blaise Zabini and Warren Quinn, walked into the Great Hall for dinner. They had just returned from a rather savage snowball fight outside. With her hair sparkling silver with streaks of green in it, Ginny grinned from ear to ear. Beside her, Colin walked with his forest green hair wet with snow. Blaise Zabini, on her right, was desperately trying to rub his vibrantly red hair back to black. On Colin's other side was Warren, whose hair was an even mix of shimmering gold and red. After the Quidditch game had ended, the four had decided to go to the library. Ginny was just glad that she had a friend with her, one who had a little more control rather than Harry or Ron. They had been studying for nearly all afternoon when Ginny suggested that they go outside. It seemed that she wasn't the only one sick of the library because Blaise and Warren agreed with little argument. When they had gotten outside, Ginny had pulled Colin aside and whispered for them to attack Blaise and Warren from behind with snowballs. Feeling rebellious at the moment, Colin agreed. Ginny had thought that they would catch the Slytherins off guard, but it seemed that they had a similar plan. At almost the same time, they spun around and shot snowballs at Ginny and Colin who quickly retaliated. The result had been one of the fiercest snowball fights Ginny had ever had.

Also one of the dirtiest…and Ginny wasn't talking about mud.

Halfway through their snowball fight, Blaise and Warren had decided to bewitch the snowballs so that they wouldn't miss; the balls flew through the air until they hit their target. It didn't matter if Ginny or Colin ran from them; the balls would always hit. So then Colin had quickly come up with an even cleverer idea. Ginny and Colin charmed their snowballs so that they were the Gryffindor colors, red and gold. Upon splattering the Slytherins, the snowballs would explode in red and gold dye, staining the Slytherins' clothes and hair. The result had been quite hilarious.

Furious with them, Warren and Blaise had then placed a similar charm on their snowballs. Instead of red and gold, however, the colors were green and silver. Added with the jinx that wouldn't let the snowballs miss, Ginny and Colin were hit every time. Where the Slytherins had been able to avoid some of Ginny and Colin's snowballs, the Gryffindors themselves were pelted again and again. Then they had decided to place the same charm on their snowballs that wouldn't allow them to miss either.

The game had continued in that fashion, with each side coming up with more and more jinxes and hexes to place on their snowballs. When Colin had sent his gold snowball soaring straight into Warren's mouth, the furious Slytherin had rushed at him and tackled him into the ground. Warren had pushed Colin's face into the snow shouting "Who's the pygmy puff now?" until finally Hagrid had approached and separated them all. Well, not exactly separated; the four _were _punished and had to stay together after all. It was after Hagrid had separated them that Ginny had realized that half of the school was watching them in amusement. With the adrenaline still running through her, Ginny had raised her arms in the air and pumped them a few times. This resulted in all of the Gryffindors present to start cheering and clapping. The Slytherins themselves booed and hissed while cheering for Blaise and Warren.

Self-consciously, Ginny combed her fingers through her hair which was now in many knots. Colin and she had tried to change the color back but had so far been unsuccessful. The only up-side to the situation was that Warren and Blaise had colored hair as well. _Oh well,_ thought Ginny. _I'll just ask Hermione what to do during dinner. She knows everything._

However, Ginny never got the opportunity to ask Hermione during dinner. As soon as they entered the Great Hall, both Blaise and Warren steered straight for the Slytherin table. Many students, those who had not been watching them outside, were already seated. Whispers and laughs broke out as they saw the hair of the four students. The ones that had been outside quickly took seats at their own tables and immediately started spreading the word of what had taken place on the grounds. Ginny didn't know whether to blush or be proud. On one hand, she was terribly embarrassed that her hair was silver and green; she felt like a traitor in a way. On the other hand, she was proud of herself and Colin for coming up with the idea and jinxing the Slytherins first.

"Why are we sitting at _your_ table?" Ginny hissed at Blaise.

"We had to watch the game from the Gryffindor stands; I see no reason why you shouldn't eat at our table," Blaise reasoned. Though Ginny desperately wanted to sit with her fellow Gryffindors, she feared Blaise was right. Lately they had been able to sit at the Gryffindor table and she thought that if she refused to sit with the Slytherins, a professor would get dragged into the ordeal and would force them to sit there anyway. As of yet, Ginny had only to eat about four meals at the Slytherin table; each had been an excruciating ordeal.

Ginny sat down and thankfully, Colin sat next to her; their partners sat on their other sides. Ginny glanced over at the Gryffindor table miserably and saw that each of her other teammates were sitting there. Ron, as well as Harry, Seamus, Dean, Dennis, Hermione, and her other friends, was eyeing her hair questioningly but she just shook her head at all of them. She could see the pity in their eyes; she and Colin were the only Gryffindors sitting with the Slytherins.

"Well if it isn't the little Miss Weasley," came a girly, sneering voice from above. Ginny looked up and saw Pansy Parkinson, the pug-faced girl with a crush on Draco Malfoy, come sauntering over. The seventh year Slytherin girl, flanked by some of her friends, took a seat directly across from Ginny and tucked her cropped black hair behind her ears.

"And if it isn't Miss Sasquatch," Ginny said with a knowing grin on her face. Pansy's green eyes narrowed dangerously and her face lost all looks of amusement.

"You better watch your mouth," she said. Her fellow Slytherin girlfriends, a bunch that were wearing very revealing black and silver outfits and too much makeup, glared at Ginny. She glanced once at Colin, who shook his head. Ginny decided it would be best not to provoke any of them too much at the moment; surrounded by angry Slytherins, Ginny didn't think it wise to start any sort of fight.

So Ginny settled for shrugging her shoulders and ignoring the girl with a pug face in front of her. She took a small helping of a cold dish that she didn't recognize and put it on her plate. As she raised a forkful of it to her mouth, she paused to sniff it. A revolting odor that reminded her of Ron's dirty socks filled her nostrils and she dropped the fork back on her plate. She no longer felt very hungry.

"You people eat this garbage?" she asked, directing her question at Pansy. Blaise's head slightly turned towards her as if he was listening but didn't want to let on that he was. Pansy's nostrils flared as she let out heavy breath.

"Look, Miss Priss," she stated heatedly, "don't you come waltzing over here like you own the place and start insulting us." She leaned forward and said more quietly, "I can make your life more miserable than you'd expect. Besides," she continued in a normal voice, "you should be glad for any sort of food." Her eyes moved sideways to look at her friends, capturing their attention. "I hear that at your house," she said with an arrogant look on her pale face, "your whole family has to share one meal just because there isn't enough money for everybody to eat."

Ginny's mouth clenched and her hands balled into fists under the table. "Ginny, don't-" Colin started from her side. Ginny wouldn't listen though. She could take insults about herself, but when somebody talked about her family, especially her parents…well, she couldn't take _that._

"At least I don't sleep, around, unlike…_some,"_ Ginny said in a quiet voice, her eyes never leaving Pansy's. The two girls stared at each other for a few minutes; the Slytherins around them, as well as Colin, were watching them apprehensively. She distinctly heard Blaise mutter "Catfight," next to her, and she heard Colin sigh, but she really didn't care at the moment.

Ginny could see that Pansy's teeth were grinding in anger and she saw a tiny vein on her neck twitch. Then, calmly, Pansy reached into her robe and pulled out a shiny black wand. She twirled it in her fingers absently a few times and sighed as she eyed it. Then she glanced up sharply at Ginny.

"Do you know what I could do with this, Weasley?" she asked in a soft whisper. Ginny stared back at her, her brown eyes glowing with anger.

"Yeah," Ginny started, "you can stick it right up your-"

"Ginny!" Colin said harshly, clapping his hand over her mouth. Ginny grunted and then glared at Colin out of the corner of her eyes.

"What?" she asked him. Colin just shook his head and leaned forwards, whispering so that only Ginny could hear him.

"Please don't start anymore fights right now," he said quietly. "We are _surrounded_ by Slytherins and I _really_ don't think it would be so smart to anger them right now."

"Relax, Colin," Ginny whispered back. "There are teachers all over the place. Nobody would dare try anything right now."

"Oh yeah?" Colin whispered furiously. "Well right now, I'd say Parkinson doesn't really look like she cares about the teachers."

Ginny glanced across the table and noticed that indeed, Colin was right. Actually, Ginny wouldn't have been surprised to steam come out of Pansy's ears. At the moment, she was looking mad enough to kill. Her eyes were boring holes into Ginny's head and her fingers were twitching around her wand, almost as if she would love nothing more than to curse Ginny into oblivion.

"Fine," Ginny said in resignation. Then she raised the volume of her voice back to normal so that Pansy could hear her. "I'll leave _poor_ Parkinson _alone."_

"You'll be glad you didn't mess with me, Weasley," Pansy sniffed. "If anybody hurt me, my Draco, my one true love, would kill them."

Ginny couldn't resist one last poke at the Slytherin girl who, if possible, may have been more conceited than Draco Malfoy himself.

"_Your_ Draco?" Ginny asked, grinning. "Your _Draco._ Please, Parkinson, everybody in the whole school knows that he can't stand you," Ginny said, struggling not to laugh. If Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy were in love, then Ginny was the tooth fairy. "You're just a fly in his face, a thorn in his side, a rock in his shoe. Wake up and smell the pumpkin juice!" Ginny exclaimed, clapping her hands in front of Pansy's face, which was steadily growing redder. Whether it was from embarrassment, anger, or something else, Ginny didn't know. What she did know, though, was that in any second, a certain Pansy Parkinson was about to explode.

"Why you little," Pansy said, her eyes widening. She stood up and started to raise her wand to curse Ginny, who was pulling out her own wand, when Blaise stood up and intervened.

"That's enough, Parkinson," he said sternly, his eyes dark and threatening. Pansy glanced at him and looked back at Ginny; it was obvious that she was struggling between cursing Ginny or not. Obviously her fear of Blaise Zabini was the stronger emotion because she settled for sitting down stiffly.

"Though I hate to say it," Blaise continued, "Weasley is right. Draco can't stand you, Pansy," he concluded, retaking his seat. Ginny, trying furiously to hide her smile, which she didn't know what it was doing there in the first place, noticed that many of her Gryffindor friends were watching the episode at the Slytherin table cautiously. She even saw Ron halfway out of his seat, concern flashing across his face, but she smiled at him and he seemed to get the message that everything was okay, because he sat down once again; he watched what was going on carefully though. "Besides," continued Blaise, "I don't need you two getting me in anymore trouble." He lazily forked through the items on his plate, clearly not interested in them.

"You're all just jealous," Pansy sniffed, running her hands through her shiny hair. "Draco loves me; I know he does."

Ginny resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

* * *

Squished between Potter and Crabbe, Draco eyed the confrontation that seemed to have arisen between Pansy and Ginny. When Pansy leapt from her seat and raised her wand to curse Ginny, Blaise had thankfully intervened. Though Draco would rather see Pansy the prat get cursed, he didn't want anybody getting into trouble. Trouble always seemed to find a way to trace itself back to him.

While trying to eat some treacle tart, Draco had to put up with the nearby Gryffindors mutter about Pansy Parkinson and about what she and Ginny were fighting about. At one point, Ron even started to go over there to see if his sister was alright, but he had sat back down. Though Draco was mightily curious why Ginny, Blaise, Warren, and that twerp Colin had strangely colored hair, he would never show his interest. He'd just wait until that night when he could talk to Blaise himself and find out what had gone on.

* * *

After Ginny had finished eating, she sat at the table and waited…and waited…and waited some more. It seemed as if Blaise would never get done talking and eating. Occasionally he'd lift a forkful of food to his mouth, eat it, and then he'd talk for about fifteen minutes to whoever was on his other side before taking another bite. Ginny could perform a repeat of the first meal she had eaten with him, but she figured it would be best not to do that. She was surrounded by Slytherins and had already almost been cursed once. So she settled for resting her hand in her head and turning away from Blaise; talking to Colin would be much better. That was when she noticed Colin's hair, which was still a very dark green. Shocked that she had forgotten her own hair-color change, Ginny grabbed some of her hair and pulled it in front of her face. Most of her once-red hair was now very silver; every few inches or so there'd be streaks of green running through it. Ginny sighed, depressed. How was she ever going to get her hair back to normal?

_Hermione!_ Ginny thought. _I forgot about Hermione!_ Ginny glanced around, wondering if the teachers would let her go to the Gryffindor table momentarily. Hesitatingly she looked back and forth between Hermione, who was now reading a book, and the head table. The teachers seemed rather absorbed in their conversations with each other, so Ginny decided she'd risk it.

Ginny cautiously rose out of her seat. "What are you-" started Colin.

"Ssh," Ginny said quietly. With one last look at the head table, she dashed across the room and scooted to a stop at the Gryffindor table. She pushed aside a young first year girl, whom Hermione had been sitting next to, and ducked down in the seat, hoping to stay hidden from Professor McGonagall's hawk-like stare.

"What are you doing, Ginny?" Hermione asked, gazing at the girl from over the top of her book. "You know you're not supposed to be over here."

"I know that, Hermione," Ginny whispered back. "But I need you to change my hair back to its normal color."

Hermione sighed and looked up at the head table. So far it didn't seem like anybody had noticed Ginny gone. "What happened to it?" she asked.

"It got hit with a Jarynxia charm. Silver and green," Ginny replied. "The normal counter spell doesn't seem to be working on it though," Ginny said, wrinkling her brows. "Please, Hermione. I can't stand my hair this way!"

"Oh alright," Hermione gave in. She pulled out her wand and raised it towards Ginny's head. Before saying anything though, she paused and thought. After a moment, she hesitatingly opened her mouth and said, "Larigio." To Ginny's immense relief, the silver and green flowed out of her hair; starting at the roots near her scalp and traveling down in gentle waves, the color faded away.

"Thank you," Ginny replied earnestly. "Where did that spell come from?"

"Well, I simply calculated the circumstances of-" Hermione started, but she never got to finish. At that moment, Ron Weasley leaned over the table and saw his sister crouched low in the seat.

"What are you doing, Ginny?" he said. "What were you and Parkinson on about? And why was your hair silver and green? And how did it get back to red?"

"Oh be quiet, Ron," Ginny said. She glanced up again at the head table. Professor McGonagall had stood and was about to turn to the hall. She dropped her wand, however, and bent down to pick it up. Now was Ginny's chance.

"Thanks again, Hermione," Ginny called as she rushed back to her seat at the Slytherin table. She sat down just in time to see Minerva McGonagall turn and walk down the aisle towards them. Nervously she ran a hand through her hair and tried to steady her harsh breathing.

"Mr. Creevey, Mr. Quinn, Miss Weasley, Mr. Zabini," McGonagall said, nodding her head as she passed by. To Ginny's surprise, the teacher didn't stop at their table but continued walking. Ginny let out a breath in relief, turned to Colin who was staring at her, and put on one of her biggest smiles.

"You're really lucky, you know that?" he said, shaking his head.

"So I've been told," Ginny said, tilting her head. Pansy Parkinson was scowling at her from across the table, but Ginny chose to ignore her.

"Mind changing my hair back?" Colin asked. "Green's really not my color."

Smiling, Ginny pulled out her wand, pointed it at Colin's hair, and said, "Larigio." The green quickly faded out of her friend's hair. Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw Blaise sneaking a peak at them. _Probably trying to figure out how to turn his own hair back,_ Ginny thought. She purposefully pocketed her wand and turned back to Colin, wondering when Blaise Zabini would finish eating so that she could leave.

* * *

"Where are you going now, Potter?" Draco asked huffily, following Harry down the hall. Dinner had finished long ago and the two boys had spent the evening in the library; it seemed that's usually where they were. They had just left and Harry had started walking down the corridor.

"None of your business," Harry snapped back. Draco rolled his eyes, folded his arms over his chest, and continued to follow him. He thought back to dinner; he had been most curious about the hair of Blaise, Warren, Ginny, and Colin. As they were leaving the Great Hall, he pulled Blaise aside and asked him. Apparently, using enchanted snowballs, they had gotten into a snowball fight with their partners. And according to Blaise, they had kicked the Gryffindors' butts.

Draco sighed in frustration and looked at his watch. There was only an hour left until curfew…and that meant that now Draco could be rid of Potter for the night. The teachers had come up with the rule that they had to wait until an hour before curfew to leave. Draco's eyes lit up and he stopped in the hallway.

"Hey, Potter!" Draco shouted after the Gryffindor boy. Instead of turning and acknowledging Draco, Harry paused in front of a doorway and peaked into it. Draco watched as a grin crept up his face. "Punishment's over for the night," Draco concluded. He thought Harry's grin was because he too realized that they could leave. He was wrong.

Draco turned and started walking away, back towards his own common room, but he paused. Still grinning, Harry was staring into the room. A small flame of curiosity leapt inside of Draco, and he pondered for a moment whether he should look into the room as well.

Not wanting to look as if he cared, Draco sauntered towards the doorway. Shoving Harry out of the way with his shoulder, he looked into the room. It was an old, empty classroom, one the teachers rarely used. There were desks with chairs in front of them, lined up facing a blackboard at the front of the room. Right beneath the blackboard was a teacher's desk. And sitting on that desk was a dark blue box.

Peeves.

"Is that all?" Draco said, pretending that Peeve's didn't interest him at all. "You're easily amused, you know that, Potter?" Draco turned around and continued walking down the hall; Harry watched him turn a corner and then he walked the other way, continuing on to the Gryffindor house.

When Draco heard the shuffling of Harry's feet leave, he carefully poked his head around the corner; the hallway was empty. He quickly snuck into the room containing Peeve's the poltergeist, now Peeve's the blue box, and shut the door behind him.

* * *

"Finally," Ginny said, falling onto her bed. "Relaxation." That day had been particularly tiresome for Ginny. "I don't think I can spend another day like that with Blaise Zabini," she moaned, staring at her ceiling. "Heck, I can't spend another day like that with _any _Slytherin."

Ginny sighed and turned over, resting her chin in her pillow. Throughout the day, when she hadn't been either purposefully annoying Zabini, ignoring Zabini, or hitting Zabini with snowballs, she had been thinking about what Hermione had told her that morning. Somebody was going to ask her to the ball and Hermione knew about it. Ginny had gone through her list of suspects, checking them off her list as she went. There was always the possibility of Harry, but she doubted it would happen. Neville could ask again like he had for the Yule Ball, but it wasn't probable. Neville had become quieter and quieter over the past few years, tending to stay to himself.

_Who is it?_ Ginny thought. _Who could it possibly be?

* * *

_

Draco slowly walked up to the desk that held Peeves. He glanced down and stifled a laugh. The normally disturbingly annoying poltergeist seemed to have been transfigured into a box, plain and simple. His face was protruding from the top, his bottom lip stuck out and his brows wrinkled, almost as if to say "That's not fair."

"Who did this to you, Peeves?" Draco asked, smiling. Whoever had done it must have been a genius. As far as he knew, it was impossible to jinx a poltergeist. "Who did this to you?" he repeated when Peeves remained just as still as ever. The grin faded off of Draco's face; he was used to getting what he wanted.

"Stupid ghost," he muttered, glaring at the box. After several more moments watching it and telepathically ordering it to move, he turned around and walked out of the room, no wiser than when he had entered it.

* * *

Three more days passed without anything significant happening. Well, unless Ginny almost killing Blaise out of sheer annoyance was significant. The Slytherin had somehow managed to turn his hair back to normal, though Ginny didn't know how. On Sunday, because it was snowing too hard for anybody to go outside and Ginny couldn't stand being in the library anymore, she had convinced Blaise to go up to the Gryffindor common room. Originally, Ginny had planned to not do that because she'd rather not have a Slytherin in their house, but she honestly thought she'd jinx Madame Pince if she said another word about her being too noisy. So, after lots of pleading from Ginny, resistance from Blaise, and then a bat bogey hex threat from Ginny, Blaise finally consented. With mixed feelings about the situation, Ginny led him through the halls, up the many staircases, and through the portrait of the Fat Lady. She almost felt like a traitor by showing a Slytherin where their house was, but she tried to ignore that feeling.

The feeling only got worse when they stepped into the common room and all eyes immediately stared at them. As far as Ginny knew, no Slytherin had ever set foot in the Gryffindor house. She cautiously had led Blaise to a corner that had a table and chairs and they sat down and read for the remainder of the afternoon. Well, Ginny had read. Most of the time Blaise huffed, snorted, or made nasty comments about the Gryffindor common room. After several threats from nearby Gryffindors, he shut up. But not before Ginny had finally cracked and put a hex on Blaise that wouldn't allow him to speak. That plan had backfired, though, when the angry Slytherin stood and gaped at her like a fish on land. When he pulled out his wand and tried to curse Ginny, she relented and took the spell off of him. He remained quiet from then on. Well, mostly quiet.

Indeed, when Ginny woke up Wednesday morning, she woke with a feeling similar to the one she got on Christmas Eve. Today was the last day of her punishment, which meant that tomorrow would be a Blaise-free day. Ginny could hardly wait.

However, while she was eating breakfast that morning, her spirit fell slightly. As the owls soared in, circling above the tables and swooping down to deliver messages, Ginny spied an owl that was barely managing to stay in the air. His wings flapped furiously and his eyes bulged with exhaustion, descending lower and lower until he crashed into a Ravenclaw girl's plate, causing the girl to shriek and back away. Blaise's mouth twitched slightly.

"Oh no," Ginny said, realization dawning on her. She recognized that owl.

With a hoot, Errol, the Weasley's family owl, hopped up and shook himself; bits of scrambled eggs went flying. He hopped across the table, making his way to the Gryffindor one. "Oh no," Ginny repeated, burying her face in her hands. Errol jumped off the Ravenclaw table when he reached the end of it and instead of flying the rest of the way to the Gryffindor table, he chose to walk. Many of the students were laughing and pointing at the owl.

"Hey, Ginny," began Hermione, frowning as she watched the old owl, "isn't that Errol?"

"Yes," moaned Ginny. Goyle, with a jelly donut exploding out of his mouth, glanced at the owl momentarily before stuffing his face with another sweet. Harry was absent from their table; Draco had forced him to sit with the Slytherins this morning.

"Blimey, I wonder what's wrong with him," Ron said, staring with a raised eyebrow as the owl approached. Errol stopped when he reached Ginny's feet and hooted at her.

Reddening, Ginny bent over and untied the two letters that were attached to his leg. Then, before opening the letters, she tossed a piece of bacon to Errol. Snapping it up, he turned around and, after a few wing flaps, took off out of the room.

"Who are the letters to?" Ron asked. Ginny glanced at the letters. One was addressed to her and the other to her brother.

"Here," Ginny said, handing Ron's letter to him without even looking up. Hesitatingly she opened her own. This was the first letter she had received from her parents since that one Quidditch match. She was sure they had something to say about that, as well as her getting punished for it. She started reading.

_Dear Ginny,_

_First off let me say that I am very happy that you are alright and were not too seriously hurt in that silly Quidditch game you and your brother played in last week. But I am extremely disappointed in you for playing in the first place. When Professor Dumbledore owled us and told us what had happened, I was very upset at Draco Malfoy. But you should have known better than to accept any offer from him. You, Ron, Harry, and all the others on your team should have known better. But no matter, I suppose it's already done and over with. And I must say that I full-heartedly approve of your punishment. As much I may dislike Slytherins in general, I know it's for the best._

_Your broom is another matter entirely. I'm very sorry that it was broken in the accident, but I'm even sorrier to say that we simply cannot afford another one right now. I'm very sorry, Ginny. I wish things could have turned out differently. You'll just have to borrow one of the school's brooms for now._

_Just know that we love you very much and hope that in the future, you'll follow the rules a bit more._

_Lots of love,_

_Mum_

Ginny sighed as she finished reading the letter. It pained her about the broom. She could get used to living without it since she hadn't had it very long, but she felt really bad about it breaking. Her parents had saved for a while to give it to her, she knew; brooms didn't come cheap.

"What does your say?" Ginny asked her brother, whose eyes were quickly reading his letter.

"Oh, the usual stuff," Ron grumbled. "You're going to be expelled, stop goofing around, why can't you be more like Percy…" Ron shook his head. "I swear that's all she ever thinks about."

"Yeah, well..." Ginny trailed off, staring into her cup of pumpkin juice. With the arrival of this letter and its disheartening contents, she suddenly didn't feel so lucky anymore.

* * *

The day passed quickly enough for Ginny. Soon she was finishing her dinner. Once again, and to her surprise, Blaise agreed to sit at the Gryffindor table. Briefly she wondered if he was up to something, but she tried to forget him. This was the last meal she'd have to share with him, and she wanted to get the night over with as soon as possible. Just as Ginny was wiping her face on a napkin, Draco Malfoy and Gregory Goyle stood from the table.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ginny questioned them.

Draco turned his grey eyes to her and said mischievously, "None of your business." Ginny's eyes narrowed.

"We're going to the library," Harry said, seeing Ginny's dark look. She watched him, as well as Ron, follow the two Slytherins out of the Great Hall. Halfway there, Ron turned around and shrugged his shoulders at her, almost as if to say, "What else _can_ we do?" Ginny shook her head and rubbed her eyes. Blaise was watching his fellow housemates leave the room.

"So what do you think?" she asked, dreading the fact that she still had about three more hours to kill with Blaise. "Are we going to the library again too?"

Ignoring her, Blaise stood from the Gryffindor table and started walking out of the Great Hall. Ginny was considering staying right where she was, but when she looked up at the head table and saw Professor McGonagall staring at her meaningfully, she got up and went after Blaise.

"Wait up," she said, trotting after him in the almost-empty hallways. "Where are we going? The library is the other way," she said, frowning as she watched Harry's and Ron's backs turn a corner at the other end of the hallway and disappear from sight.

"I don't feel like going to the library," Blaise commented. "I'm going to spend this evening in _my _common room." Ginny's face instantly hardened, and she stopped dead in her tracks. "I've got tests coming up that I've hardly been able to study for because I'm spending every single night with you," Blaise finished, stopping and turning to face Ginny.

"I'm not going into the Slytherin house," Ginny said firmly.

"Yes you will," Blaise said, just as stiffly. "I spent a whole afternoon in yours; you can spend a few hours in mine."

With that said, Blaise began walking once more down the hallway. Ginny remained where she was, watching his back, until he was almost at the end of the corridor. "I suggest you hurry," he called over his shoulder. "If you don't, then you won't be able to find the Slytherin house and you'll get left behind," he turned the corner but still Ginny didn't move. Then she heard his voice call out, "And if McGonagall catches you without me, then you'll be in even more trouble."

Ginny debated on whether or not she should go, and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. After a moment, she gave in and started running down the hallway. She skidded around the corner and almost smacked into Blaise, who was standing there, his arms folded across his chest, waiting with a knowing look on his face.

"I knew you'd give in," he smirked.

Ginny resisted the urge to hit him and said irritably, "Well let's go, then. I haven't got all night to just stand here in the hallway."

Blaise rolled his eyes and started walking at a brisk pace down the hallway. His much longer legs were carrying him farther than Ginny's so she sped up until she was almost jogging. Blaise led her through a few more corridors and down a couple flights of stairs. The air grew noticeably cooler and Ginny suppressed a shiver.

"I always knew that the Slytherin house had to be in the dungeons," Ginny muttered, wrapping her arms around herself under her cloak. "You're all vampires."

Without stopping, Blaise turned and looked at her with one raised eyebrow. Ginny narrowed her eyes and glared at him as they walked. Soon they came to a halt outside of a rough, stone wall.

"This is it?" Ginny asked. She had thought it would be more impressive.

Ignoring her yet again, Blaise said, "Wolfsbane." Ginny watched as a hidden door that she had not yet noticed slid out of the wall and to the left with a low grating sound, revealing a small opening in the wall. Without looking to see if she was following, Blaise entered it. With a bad feeling yanking on her good sense, she walked after him.

Ginny gazed around warily at the room she had just entered; round green lamps hung on rusted chains from a low stone ceiling. Three short, immediate steps led down into the middle of the room where there was a very large fire place; elaborate carvings of various witches, wizards, creatures, and buildings decorated the mantle. Wooden chairs with similar carvings were dotted along the room. In addition to the wood furniture, hard, black leather couches were centered around a similarly-carved table that was in front of the fireplace. There were no windows in this room, only the green lamps which gave off an eerie glow, and a few candles that were lit along the walls. _No wonder everybody in Slytherin is so pale, _Ginny thought.

Immediately Ginny longed for the warmth and hospitality of the Gryffindor common room, but Blaise clearly appeared comfortable for he quickly trotted down the three steps and took a seat on one of the couches. There were a few Slytherin girls already there and they crowded around him as he took a seat. Looking smug, Blaise Zabini let his attention wander between the girls who were all sending him inviting looks, their eyelashes fluttering very quickly. Ginny hated these kinds of girls.

It seemed as if nobody had yet noticed Ginny's presence in the room, for nobody acknowledged her. She didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, but she thought it was a good thing. A few other students were either sitting in the chairs reading, or huddled near two different staircases on the back wall that spiraled upwards and out of sight.

Ginny cautiously stepped away from the doorway, liking the Slytherin house less and less as each second passed. As she stepped down the stairs, her footsteps echoed in the stone room. As if on cue, all the heads in the room turned to her.

"What's _she_ doing in here?" a boy from the back of the room demanded, standing from his seat.

"Who let a Gryffindor into _our_ house?" called another. Ginny's heartbeat quickened as she gazed back and forth between all the angry people. Blaise, who now had both of his arms around girls, sighed and his cocky look drained away until only one of annoyance rested on his face. The girls he was with all eyed Ginny suspiciously and appraisingly, sending dirty, almost jealous, looks her way.

"Get out of here," said a large boy, moving threateningly towards Ginny, who backed away slightly.

"Leave her alone, Mike," Blaise said. "She has to stay with me until curfew; you know why."

"Yes but why did you have to let her in here?" the boy called Mike asked Blaise. His tall, muscular frame held a face that was dotted with blonde hair that was fast becoming a beard.

"Because I don't feel like spending another day in that damned library," Blaise said, clearly irritated. Mike seemed to notice for he stopped questioning Blaise. Still eyeing Ginny, he sat down in a seat and continued to stare at her.

Slightly unnerved, Ginny continued down the steps and took a seat on the end of one of the couches; it was very hard and stiff, almost like she was sitting on stone rather than a couch. All of the girls glared at her until Blaise started talking to them again; then they seemed to almost completely forget about Ginny, so wrapped up in what he was saying to them.

"You are so handsome, Blaise," cooed of the girls who had long black hair. All of the other girls voiced their similar sentiments and started to try to engage the Slytherin boy in a conversation. Ginny wanted to slap his smug look right into next week. Instead, she grabbed a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ from the table and started thumbing through it. _I should have brought a book to read, _thought Ginny.

She wasn't able to read much anyway. Not ten minutes after she had sat down, the girls around her started making snide comments about her.

"Just look at those robes," one of them whispered to a girl next to her, loudly enough so that Ginny could hear. "It looks like she stepped out of a fashion nightmare."

"And have you seen the clothes she's wearing underneath?" another hissed behind her hand. "I think she's going for the ratty-tatty look."

"And look at that hair," another girl with blonde hair almost shrieked. "See how red it is? Looks like someone lit a torch to it."

"Ladies, ladies," droned Blaise, "let's try to be civil. You at least have to comment on how clean her teeth are. I'm surprised she was even taught to brush considering the pigsty she grew up in."

Ginny's breath was coming out hard as she fought to control herself. She knew coming here was a bad idea. What else could a whole bunch of Slytherins be? Maybe, though, if she just ignored them and continued to read quietly, she could get through the next few hours without being sent to Azkaban for murder.

However, as the night progressed, her situation only grew worse. The girls around her only became more raucous and malicious. They even forgot about whispering and started insulting her to her face. A few times Ginny considered standing up and cursing them until they couldn't talk anymore; other times she half rose out of her seat, ready to just leave and face whatever wrath McGonagall might have. But her sense of duty played out stronger in the end, for she remained in her seat, forcefully staring at the front page of the _Daily Prophet._ She had read the first line over and over but could not concentrate enough to actually get anywhere in the story.

Ginny wondered what time it was. A few times Blaise had left the room, momentarily coming back with a different book or so. Even though he had a book with him, he never actually read it. Instead he chose to talk with his friends. Ginny glanced around the room; across from them, standing near the passageway that Ginny had walked through earlier, were two boys that Ginny guessed were in sixth or seventh year. They had been standing there for about fifteen minutes, whispering to each other and glancing at her occasionally. Ginny was becoming slightly nervous under their gaze.

In an effort to avert her attention, Ginny looked around the room. Most of the students had already left to go to their separate dormitories or had left the Slytherin house altogether. In fact, only about twenty or so students remained in the room, including Blaise and his groupies. However, the Slytherin boy, whom Ginny had spent the past week with, rose from his seat and said to his friends, "I'll be right back." Then he walked up one of the staircases that Ginny assumed belonged to the boys' dormitories. Soon he was out of sight.

As Ginny's eyes continued to roam over a seemingly empty, stone wall, they came to rest on a clock. Excited now, Ginny squinted her eyes; the clock was made of stone and blended in almost exactly with the wall. To her delight, she saw that the clock read nine-o-clock…exactly one hour before curfew. A great weight seemed to lift off of Ginny's shoulders as she realized that she was now finished with her punishment.

As she rose out of her seat, fully prepared to leave the dreary Slytherin common room, a hand rested on her shoulder and pushed her back down into her seat. Confused, Ginny saw the two boys that had been standing near the door were on either side of her. One of them plopped into the seat on her left and the other sat on the armrest on her right, leaning over and putting his arm around the back of the couch.

"And what is your name?" The one on her right asked. Ginny stared back at him, anger seething through her. This boy's brown, stringy hair hung slightly in his eyes, which seemed dark with a look that Ginny couldn't identify.

"It doesn't matter," Ginny said evenly, "because I was just leaving." She tried to rise out of her seat but the other boy, the one on her left, again pulled her back into the seat.

"But we haven't gotten to know you yet," this boy said. His whole face screamed evil; his dark eyes were hidden behind shoulder-length, curly black hair. Ginny wanted to run away, but it seemed she wasn't able to move. She looked around for Blaise, for it seemed that the people in the Slytherin house seemed to respect him like they did Draco Malfoy. Well, not respect. Perhaps fear.

"I don't want to get to know you," Ginny said, her heart rate speeding up again. This situation didn't look good. The girls that had been crowded around Blaise were watching her with glee on their faces. Like a rat caught in a trap, Ginny's eyes darted around the room, hoping to find any welcoming face that would help her. All she saw were cold gazes watching with an almost bored appearance to them.

The boy on Ginny's right, the one sitting on the armrest, chuckled, clearly amused at her response. "Yes you do," he whispered in her ear; his arm was slung across her shoulder. His fingers started tapping against Ginny's upper arm and he stared into her eyes. Angry and slightly afraid, Ginny brought her elbow up full-force, slamming into the boy's eye. He howled in pain and brought both of his hands up to his face, a grimace contorting his face into an ugly look.

Ginny leapt up to her feet and whipped out her wand, turning to face the two boys.

"You witch!" the brown-haired boy shouted as he stood up, rubbing his eye which was quickly turning black. The other boy that was sitting on the couch stood as well and they both pulled out their wands, eyeing Ginny dangerously.

"Stay the bloody hell away from me," Ginny warned, moving her wand back and forth between the two boys, trying to figure out which one was more dangerous. She backed away slowly, moving towards the door. To her surprise, nobody moved to help their two housemates; the girls on the couch merely turned and watched her leave as if this sort of thing happened every day.

The brown-haired boy, the one that Ginny had hit, opened his mouth and started to curse her, but Ginny was faster. She pointed her wand at him and shouted the first spell that came to mind. "Petrificus Totalus!" Immediately the boy toppled over backward, his entire body rigid.

Just as the other, black-haired boy was about to shout another curse at her, Ginny tripped over the stairs; she hadn't realized she had backed up that far. A jet of green light whooshed over her head as her back hit the steps. She heard the same grating sound of the hidden door moving and she desperately turned around, hoping to find somebody that would help her.

It was Draco Malfoy.

"What the-" Draco started, confused. Ginny could only imagine what his reaction was. The last person he had expected to see in his common room, Ginny Weasley, was sprawled on the floor with jinxes being shouted at her from his fellow housemates. The boy who had tried to curse her, not noticing Draco, opened his mouth to curse her again, but Draco beat him to it. He quickly pulled out his wand and said calmly, "Stupefy." The boy slumped backwards onto the couch.

For a moment, Ginny stared at the two now-motionless boys. Then she gingerly stood up and faced Draco, who was staring at her with narrowed eyes. The rest of the common room had become even more silent at the sight of Draco, who was now pocketing his wand. Ginny started walking for the door, and paused when she walked past Draco. Unsure whether she should thank him or not, she opened her mouth. Before she could say anything, Draco spoke.

"Punishment's over," he said simply, his eyes cold and hard. Ginny stared at him a moment longer. What was wrong with this boy? He had just saved her and all he could say was "punishment's over"? Though Ginny didn't know what she had expected him to say, it certainly wasn't that.

So, without another word and without another backwards glance, she exited the Slytherin common room. When she stepped into the cold hallway, the stone door grated shut behind her and she was left standing alone.

* * *

"What happened?" asked Blaise Zabini as he hurried back down the staircase. He saw the two boys who were lying on the ground. "I heard shouting…" he trailed off as he spotted Draco.

"Sloan and Darryson were bothering Ginny Weasley is what happened," stated Draco. "Had to curse them before they cursed her." He walked across the room and stepped over the boy who had been petrified by Ginny. "We can't have any other punishments going on, can we?" he said with his eyebrows raised. Blaise shook his head slowly and watched warily as Draco walked by. "Frankly, I'm tired of it." Then Draco disappeared up the staircase, going to get ready for bed.

* * *

That night, Ginny had a hard time falling to sleep. As she laid in bed, all she could picture were those two boys and what they might have done to her if Draco hadn't shown up. She shivered, huddled under the blankets. She wasn't cold, but somehow the blankets were comforting to her.

When she had returned to the Gryffindor house, she breathed in relief as she saw the warm colors of red and gold. Harry and Ron were sitting around the fire, smiling, obviously happy that their punishment was over. They had looked up at Ginny when she entered and asked where she had been, that they hadn't seen her in the library. Ginny had just shrugged her shoulders and answered, "Around." She really didn't feel like relating what she had been through. Not yet, anyway.

Actually, as she laid their thinking about it, she had had people cursing her quite a bit lately. First Blaise and Warren during the snowball fight, then Pansy at lunch, and finally these two boys. _Why does everybody hate me?_ Ginny thought, shaking her head.

The next evening, Ginny was sitting in the common room and reading a book. Harry and Ron were sitting in their favorite chairs near the fire playing a game of Exploding Snap. Hermione was watching and telling them that they should be finishing their homework. Colin, Dennis, Seamus, and Dean were gathered around as well, all enjoying the fact that they hadn't had to spend the day with any Slytherins.

"You really should be working on that essay Professor Binns gave us today," Hermione stated. "If you don't do better in your work, you won't be able to get a job anywhere."

"That's all you ever think about is work, Hermione," Ron said in disbelief. "Honestly, it'll be a miracle if you ever get married someday. You'll have to find somebody who enjoys it just as much as you."

Ginny grinned behind her book and glanced up to see that Hermione had straightened in her seat and was now smiling shyly. "Actually, Ronald," Hermione started, "I have."

"What?" Ron and Harry asked at the same time, looking up from their game. Hermione was now beaming.

"I found somebody who likes work just as much as me," Hermione repeated. "He asked me to the ball a week or so ago. I said yes."

"Who asked you?" Ron demanded.

"A boy in Ravenclaw named Ewan Swestan," Hermione replied.

"Blimey," Ron said, looking distraught. "Does he know what he's gotten himself into?"

As everybody around them started laughing, Hermione threw a book at Ron, who ducked. Ginny shook her head and returned to her book.

"We do need to look into getting dates," Harry said. "Don't want the same thing happening as the Yule Ball." He and Ron shared a knowing look and groaned.

"As long as we're talking about dates," Seamus began. "Ginny, will you go to the ball with me?"

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A/N: What did you think? Hopefully it wasn't too predictable or cliche, though I think it got like that in some parts. Oh well though. Review!

Lauren


	20. Draco is Confused

Ok, I'm so so so sooooooo sorry for the super long wait. But I was gone for a while and then I was studying very hard for midterms. Thankfully I survived them, lol. And I definately don't like this chapter, but I figured I better give it to you before you get too mad. So here you go!

Disclaimer: I don't own this.

**Chapter 20: Draco is Confused**

Ginny's eyes widened and her grip on her book tightened until her knuckles grew white. Seamus was smiling at her with a slightly hopeful look. _What do I do?_ Ginny thought quickly. _Did Seamus Finnigan just ask me out? _It seemed as if all time had ceased to tick. Ginny's eyes darted to Harry and Ron, who were watching them with expressionless faces. Colin, Dennis, and Dean were staring at them, glancing back and forth between Seamus and Ginny. Nervously, Ginny looked at Hermione, almost as if for advice; all the Head Girl did was nod her head encouragingly. Ginny mechanically looked back to Seamus, whose hopeful look was slowly slipping away at Ginny's silence.

At the disappointed look that was forming on Seamus's face, Ginny's heart broke. Without another thought, she said, "Yes. I'll go with you." Instantly Seamus's face erupted in a giant grin with a slight glimpse of relief snuck in. Ginny laughed quietly at his look and smiled.

Ron was looking quizzically back and forth between Seamus and Ginny. "Did you just as my sister out?" he asked Seamus confusedly.

Seamus turned to Ron, now somewhat apprehensive. "Yeah…" He continued to watch Ron as if the redheaded boy might suddenly explode in anger. Staring into his lap, Ron seemed to be considering something. Finally he looked up and shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay," he said.

"Okay?" Seamus asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Ron said. "It could be worse. At least you're not Malfoy." The group collectively shuddered, with the exception of Ginny. Then Ron turned back to Harry and they continued their game of Exploding Snap. Hermione smiled knowingly at Ginny and mouthed the words _I told you so._

"So…" Ginny said towards Seamus, who was sitting next to her on the couch. Seamus smiled nervously and turned to face her. A small laugh escaped from Ginny and she smiled at Seamus. For a few seconds, all Ginny and Seamus could do was look at each other. Ginny couldn't find anything to say. _Say something, Ginny,_ she commanded herself. _This is getting awkward._

"So, err…d-do you want to go to Hogsmede next Saturday, Ginny?" Seamus stuttered. _He actually seems nervous, _thought Ginny. _That's so cute._

"Oh, Hermione and I were going then to pick out dresses for the ball," Ginny replied, glad that they had come up with a conversation. "But that won't take the whole trip. At least, I hope not."

Seamus laughed. "Okay then. We can do other stuff after you girls go shopping."

"Great," Ginny smiled. Ron, she noticed, kept sneaking glances at her and Seamus. She couldn't tell why he was being so accepting of Seamus, but she wasn't about to complain. The sooner he got over his phobia of Ginny ever being with a guy, the better.

The rest of the evening passed with relatively little action. Ginny and Seamus talked for a while until Colin went up to his room, soon returning with a set of wizard's chess. Then they all gathered around and watched Colin take on Dean in a match that ended up with Dean losing. After that they she and Seamus played a game together. The result of this had been Ginny beating Seamus, who only laughed and said, "With six brothers to practice against, what can I expect."

That night, Ginny laid awake in her bed for quite some time, trying to figure out everything that had recently happened. Though she was still shaken up about what had taken place in the Slytherin common room a few nights ago, this surprisingly turn of events with Seamus was slowly pushing it out of her mind. The day after the incident, she had gone to classes and kept quiet, not offering to answer any of the questions the teachers asked. What puzzled her most was why Draco had stuck up for her. _I suppose he might have gotten in trouble if he hadn't,_ Ginny told herself. _But there were also plenty of other Slytherins there that could just have easily helped. So why did _he?

She had seen Draco only once at dinner that day, and he wasn't bothering to look her way. For one of the first times, she saw the two boys that had threatened her. _It's funny,_ she thought. _I've never noticed them before._ The two of them were sitting at the end of the table, as far away from Draco as they could possibly be. _Wonder what he did to them after I left, _thought Ginny. Occasionally they would glance menacingly at her, and whenever they did, a terrifying feeling crept into Ginny. She had looked down at her plate and tried to ignore the hairs rising on the back of her neck.

In her dark room, Ginny thought of whether she should tell anyone what happened. Most likely, if she told Ron, he'd go storming to the Slytherins and hex those two boys into a mound of goop. Of course, Harry would probably help him. No, if she told anybody it would have to be Hermione. Hermione, the sensible one, who'd never do anything rash. Hermione, the one who would be able to console her.

_I'll think about it,_ Ginny thought. Then her mind drifted to Seamus. The boy really was handsome, but that wasn't the only thing that she liked about him. Though they had never been best friends, they'd occasionally talk, and he had always been nice to her. Also, he had rarely gone out with girls, which gave Ginny the impression that he didn't take dating too lightly. _But that's good,_ she told herself. _I don't want to go out with anybody who'll date me one day and break up with me the next._

After a while, Ginny drifted off to sleep. Unfortunately, it was troubled by a disturbing dream in which the two Slytherin boys chased her into the Forbidden Forest. She had run for what seemed like forever, when, in exhaustion, she had collapsed on the ground, panting for breath. Soon the crashing of leaves was heard and both boys appeared before her.

No matter how hard she screamed, nobody came to save her this time.

* * *

Late that night, Draco sat on his bed, contemplating what he was to do about the ball. Pansy was still insisting that he go with her. Even if he didn't, and took some other girl, she'd still find a way to be with him the whole night. _Should I just go with her?_ Draco would rather die that take Pansy Parkinson to another dance, but he didn't see any way out of it. He grimaced and thought about the events that had taken place the past few days.

Needless to say, he had been shocked when he had entered the Slytherin common room the other night to see Ginny Weasley sprawled on the floor while Derrick Sloan and Martin Darryson tried to curse her. Instinctively he had pulled out his wand to curse them. Those two boys had been causing trouble in the Slytherin house since they arrived at Hogwarts six years earlier. Draco found them both repulsive, but he didn't bother with them much. As far as he could tell, both of their parents were Death Eaters, but Voldemort did not favor them nearly as much as Lucius Malfoy. Perhaps that was the reason they so feared Draco.

The day after the incident in the Slytherin common room, Draco had questioned Blaise more. The raven-haired boy had told him that he and Ginny had come to the Slytherin house rather than spend another evening in the library. Then he had mentioned that he had gone upstairs to get something and he had heard curses being shouted.

Draco shook his head. As far as he could tell, Ginny hadn't been hurt by them, only shaken up. However, she had managed to punch, or something equally damaging, Martin Darryson in the eye. The boy, instead of going to Madame Pomfrey to have it taken care of, had tried to heal it himself. This botched attempt at healing himself had resulted in his left eye, the one that had been hit, turning bright red. Draco had seen Darryson being questioned in the hallways about what had happened, but the boy had only walked by, ignoring the inquisitiveness of his fellow house-mates.

Sighing, Draco stood from his bed. The night would soon be turning into morning. Against his will, his body refused to sleep. Knowing that he would regret it in the morning when he would hardly be able to stay awake in class, Draco slipped on his shoes and cloak and, grabbing his wand, quietly exited his room.

As he headed through the dark hallways, his mind relaxed slightly. The echo of his steps on the stone floor lulled him into a steady rhythm of walking. He didn't quite know where he was headed; doing something he normally didn't do, he just walked and let his feet pick the path.

After a few minutes, he found himself outside the entrance to the tunnel that Albert Harding had been found in…also the tunnel where he and Ginny had been exploring. He paused and stared at the old wooden door, contemplating whether he should go into it. _Why not?_

A creaking filled the air as Draco pulled open the thin wood door. "Lumos," he whispered, stepping slowly into the black hollowness ahead of him. Cautiously he worked his way through the tunnel that seemed colder and darker than before. As the path he had traveled before sloped downwards slightly, the dirt walls became damper and tiny roots stuck out at odd angles like strings of spaghetti. The air, becoming mustier, clogged Draco's lungs with a scent that smelt like rotten eggs. Covering his mouth and nose with one hand, Draco wrinkled his brows and his heartbeat sped up with an unexpected apprehension. Abruptly he stopped walking and stared into the blackness before him, wondering if he should continue. He couldn't explain the feeling he now had or the reason for it being there. All he knew was that he had a bad feeling.

_Stop being ridiculous, Draco,_ he told himself. _Don't be a Weasley._ As if to convince himself, Draco started walking again, this time more quickly than before. He increased his pace until he was jogging down the dark tunnel; soon he was running. Blood pounded through his head until he could hardly hear his own ragged breathes that puffed out in little clouds ahead of him.

The light from his wand showed that the tunnel took a sharp turn to the left and Draco turned. As he did so, his foot caught on an unseen root on the ground and he went tumbling head over heels down a sharp incline that he had not noticed. Draco threw his arms out at his side, trying to grab onto anything that might slow his rapid fall. His hand lost his grip on his wand, which went sailing away from him. The light that had previously been guiding him down the tunnel flickered off and Draco lost vision altogether. Just as if Draco thought he'd never stop rolling down this dirt hill, he splashed to a stop in something wet. The right half of his body was soaking wet in what Draco believed to be water, the other half still on land.

Groaning, Draco stayed where he was; he put his dry hand to his forehead and it came away wet. Apprehensively, Draco put his hand to his lips and cautiously touched the tip of his tongue against his finger; a bitter taste filled his mouth and he sighed as he realized it was blood. Letting his hand fall back against the ground, Draco closed his eyes, wishing his mind would stop whirling. He could still feel his body tumbling blindly down the hill, bruising his body harshly. After a few minutes, Draco gingerly sat up; he waited for his eyes to be accustomed to the dark, yet still he could see nothing.

"Where's my wand," Draco muttered under his breath. "Must have wand." He stood from where he had been laying and swayed slightly as all the blood rushed to his head. With a quick shake, he bent over and felt the ground with his hands, looking for his wand. After searching for a while and not finding his wand, Draco stood straight in frustration. He closed his eyes and concentrated fiercely on the image of his wand. "Accio wand," Draco said quietly. He heard a rustling to his right and opened his wand-hand. Thankfully, he felt the familiar touch of his wand. His father had insisted on him learning the basics of wand-less magic during the summers at home, and for once, Draco was thankful for it. "Lumos," he stated, and then squinted his eyes as a bright light emanated from the tip of his wand. Shielding his eyes with his hand, he gazed around.

Stunned, Draco widened his eyes in amazement. As far as he could tell, he was in some sort of cavern. A small lake about the size of the Slytherin common room was just before him, resting at the bottom of the hill that Draco had fallen down. The water was as clear as Draco had ever seen water; as he shined his wand closer to the water, he found that he was able to see straight to the bottom, where rested only dirt and a few rocks. The ceiling of the room was very high and Draco had to crane his neck to see the top. A soft trickling sound reached his ears and Draco looked about for its source. Holding his breath, he raised his wand higher in the air so that the light would shine farther. It seemed as if the sound was coming from the other side of the cave-like room; Draco dusted himself off and before carefully stepped around the loose gravel on the ground, he healed the cut on his forehead with a simple healing spell. Then he started walking around the water's edge.

"Where am I?" Draco mused, and he heard the words echo around the room. The trickling was becoming louder and Draco assumed that he was going in the right direction. As he walked up a slight incline on the other side of the cavern, the wall rose from the ground and curved upwards. About five feet off the ground, the wall slanted forwards, creating an overhang so big that Draco could stand under it if he hunched over. However, the water from the lake stretched far under the overhang. Draco pointed his wand light towards the overhang and saw that a steady stream of water was falling from above it, creating the trickling sound. Standing on his tip-toes, he glanced on top of the hard rock and saw that a tiny stream was lying on top of the rock overhang, falling onto the ground below.

"I know," muttered Draco. "This is from the Great Lake." Draco didn't know why he felt so confident that it must be coming from the lake outside Hogwarts, but he had never heard of any separate body of water being underground. However, he had also never heard of the lake emptying underground either. "No wonder it's so damp down here," grumbled Draco. The Slytherin boy stretched farther to see up past the overhang, but at that moment he lost his footing. As he tumbled into the lake, he thought, _I should have stayed in bed._ Ice cold water pierced through Draco's robes, through his clothes beneath, and, it seemed, through his skin to his very bones. Sputtering water, Draco surfaced and, with chattering teeth, waded his way to the shore, where he stumbled onto the rocky ground.

"That's just my ruddy luck," Draco griped, picking at his clothes that were clinging to his skin. He sighed and stared around, thinking what he should do. This time when he had fallen, he had managed to keep hold of his wand, though the light wasn't as bright due to drops of water hanging on the tip. Draco brushed them off and stood from the rock he had been leaning against.

_I'll come back another day,_ Draco thought. _I've had enough of this for tonight. _Now exhausted from his nightly activities, Draco walked back to the other side of the lake where he had started from. When he reached the water's edge, he stared up the embankment from which he had fallen. Surprised that he had fallen that far, Draco started the steep climb back up. As he saw the numerous rocks and boulders that were along the ground, he was amazed that he hadn't broken his neck.

By the time he reached the top, he was panting and clutching a stitch in his side. As he rested for a few minutes, he wondered how come they had never discovered that passage before. _Is this the same tunnel? _Draco thought briefly. He knew it must be for it was the same entrance that he had gone through before. _There must be more than one tunnel down here,_ he thought excitedly. _I'll bet-_ Draco's thoughts were interrupted as his eyes were drawn to something lying on the ground. In a flash, Draco saw that the root which he had thought he had tripped over wasn't a root at all. Instead, it was a piece of smooth gray stone about a foot long. Puzzled, Draco bent over and picked it up. This couldn't be any ordinary rock though, for Draco had never seen any stone shaped so perfectly.

Now thoroughly confused, Draco pocketed the object and headed back up the tunnel. He still had no idea how he had ended up in that cavern since he saw no other tunnels. When he reached the door, he pushed it open and walked through, gladly stepping into the hallway beyond. As he walked back to the Slytherin house, he dried his clothes using his wand. They were only half-dried by the time he reached his room, though. He changed clothes and fell into bed, not caring if he woke any of the other boys. None of them would dare to ask where he had been even if they did hear him.

* * *

Ginny sighed with content that afternoon at lunch. The last day had gone by smoothly, much more smoothly than Ginny had expected it to. After Seamus had first asked her out, Ginny was nervous; she still didn't know all the "rules" to dating and hadn't even been on a date in two years. However, when she was around Seamus, she never felt pressured to do any of the things that she saw other couples doing, such as sucking the lips off their partner every chance they got. In fact, Seamus had never even made to kiss her yet, something Ginny was desperately thankful for. Even on her dates with Michael Corner, she had never let him kiss her. Ginny had never in her life been kissed by anybody other than immediate family. Whenever Ginny left the common room for the night and went up to bed, though, Seamus would give her a hug, a quick smile that revealed straight white teeth, and say that he'd see her in the morning.

Ginny wrapped her arms around her stomach and smiled as she chewed on a pretzel. Seamus, who was sitting next to her, glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes at the same time that Ginny looked at him. When their eyes met, Ginny blushed and looked away. Someone across the table snorted disgustedly and Ginny looked up to see her brother eyeing her and Seamus.

"You know," began Ron, "you two are already dating. There's no need to be shy around each other."

Ginny stopped chewing and the crunching of her pretzel ceased. After swallowing she turned to Ron and stated, "And there's no need to lecture us on the ins and outs of dating, dear Ronald. You've never even been on a date."

"Yes I have," Ron said, his ears growing red. "Last year there was that one girl from Hufflepuff, you remember her Harry?" Ron turned to Harry for confirmation. Harry choked on some of his a water and sputtered, trying to find his voice.

"Wha- what girl from Hufflepuff?"

"_You know_," Ron said, staring hard at Harry and placing heavy emphasis on his words. "That girl…in Hufflepuff…" When all he received was a blank look from Harry, Ron cleared his throat and turned back to Ginny, who was looking at Ron with a smug look on her face. "Well, there was a girl, Ginny," Ron said. "It just so happens that Harry here," he turned and gave Harry a look, "doesn't remember."

"I don't remember either, Ron," Hermione spoke up.

Ron's entire face became red and he said defensively, "There was a girl. It's not my fault that you can't remember. But I'm telling you, there was-"

"Okay, Ron, there was a girl," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "All I was trying to say was that you're in no position to give me dating advice."

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but then he seemed to reconsider and decided to not say anything at all. When the rest of the group heard him mutter, "Was too a girl…" they burst out laughing; this only made Ron pipe up in self-defense again.

* * *

As Draco walked into the Great Hall for lunch that afternoon, the first thing he heard over the idle chatter was a group of people burst out laughing. He looked towards the Gryffindor table and saw the usual group of Potter's friends all laughing, and Ron Weasley looking obviously embarrassed. Then he saw that Seamus Finnigan was sitting next to Ginny Weasley. When he saw Seamus's arm go around Ginny's shoulders, he stopped walking and stared at them. Then remembering who and where he was, he glanced away and kept walking. As he made his way over to the Slytherin table, he thought _What is that all about?_

During his meal, Draco refrained from talking to his fellow housemates. Instead he took a seat against the wall so that he could inconspicuously watch the Gryffindors. All throughout his ham sandwich, Draco kept asking himself what it meant if Finnigan had his arm around Ginny. Then he had to ask himself why it mattered anyway.

_Ugh, what's wrong with you, Draco?_ he thought. _They're just a bunch of dumb Gryffindors._ Try as he might, and he did try, he couldn't force himself to watch anything other than Seamus Finnigan and Ginny Weasley. Soon Finnigan's arm returned to his side, and something seemed to unclench in Draco's stomach. His eyes widening, he looked down at his stomach, and then back up at the Gryffindors. _Why do I care?_ he asked himself furiously.

As soon as he was done with his meal, he got up and left the hall. The sooner he got out of there, the better. He stalked down the hallway, trying to forget what had happened in the Great Hall. Last night after he had gotten back in bed, he had hidden the oddly-shaped object he found in the tunnel in his trunk. He didn't have to worry about anybody finding it; he had placed a special locking charm on his trunk back in his second year. He was still wondering about what the stone could be, but he decided to wait. In fact, he had decided that morning that he would see if Ginny wanted to go explore the cavern he had found. He was planning on going that night, with or without the girl.

When Draco reached the Transfiguration classroom, he saw that he was the first person there. _That's because everybody is still at lunch,_ he thought. Draco sat down at one of the seats and waited. After almost ten minutes, Professor McGonagall came into the room. At first the teacher didn't notice Draco, but when she reached the front of the room and turned around to sit down, she stopped.

"Why Mr. Malfoy, I didn't expect you to be so early. Class does not start for another twenty minutes," she stated, pushing her spectacles farther up her nose.

"I know," Draco replied calmly. McGonagall stared at him somewhat suspiciously for a moment before sitting down at her desk. She started rifling through a stack of papers, glancing up at Draco every now and then. He merely sat there with a tiny smirk on his face. It wasn't every day that he got to see the ever-stern Minerva McGonagall unsettled. It wasn't every day that he was early to class, either.

For the next twenty minutes, Draco sat surprisingly patiently and waited for class to begin. Soon, students started shuffling into the Transfiguration classroom and chatting with each other. Draco silently watched as the Harry, Hermione, and Ron all came into the room, accompanied with the other Gryffindors who were taking Transfiguration that year, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. The five friends took a seat a row in front of Draco, whom they seemed to not have noticed yet. As Crabbe and Goyle took a seat on either side of him, Draco leaned forward to listen to what the Gryffindors were saying.

"Who do we play the next match against?" Dean asked, directing his question towards Harry.

"Hufflepuff," Harry replied, taking his Transfiguration textbook out of his bag.

"Excellent," Dean said, rubbing his hands together. Harry raised an eyebrow at him, but remained silent. Seamus leaned back in his seat and folded his arms. Draco's eyes were drawn to the Irish boy, staring at the back of his brown-haired head. His eyes narrowing, Draco watched as Seamus proceeded to pull out some parchment and his quill and ink. What was this feeling in him? _You're not jealous, are you?_ a little voice in the back of Draco's head taunted. This thought was so disturbing that Draco shook himself and tore his eyes away from Seamus.

"Why'd you leave lunch so early, Draco?" Goyle asked from his left. "You didn't even get seconds."

"Is food all you ever think about?" Draco snapped, venting his anger of Seamus onto poor Goyle, who only blinked. Though Goyle, or Crabbe, rarely became upset by Draco's temper, the young boy did turn his back slightly from Draco.

_Nice work, Draco,_ he though irritably. _Push away the few friends you do have. _Though Draco wasn't sure he could call Crabbe and Goyle true friends…not even Zabini. Sure, he talked to them and they were all civil to each other, yet there was too much distrust and hidden secrets for any real friendship to escalate.

"Good afternoon, class," spoke Professor McGonagall. The entire class ceased its talking at once; they knew that when McGonagall spoke, she wanted their attention.

"Today we will be reviewing what we discussed last week, because I have a feeling that many of you were _not paying attention,"_ the teacher said sternly, her eyes landing on several students she had in mind.

Throughout the rest of class, Draco tried to pay attention as best as he could. However, he couldn't help but study Seamus and wonder what he and Ginny were doing. Were they going out? That seemed logical, but some part of Draco refused to think that Ginny would go out with anybody. He didn't know where that thought came from, but he couldn't picture anybody as being her boyfriend. Moreover, he couldn't picture her as anybody's _girlfriend._

Before Draco knew it, class was coming to a close and Professor McGonagall was assigning homework for the week.

"We've got a free period," Harry said as the students started gathering their equipment and leaving the room. Ron nodded. "I reckon we should go visit Hagrid…we haven't seen him in a while."

"I suppose you're right," Ron agreed. "I just hope he doesn't try giving us anymore of that Flaming Frog Fudge." Harry shuddered slightly at the memory as he slung his bag over his shoulder. Draco casually yet slowly put his books and parchment in his bag, hoping to hear something regarding Ginny Weasley and Seamus Finnigan.

"Wish _we _had a free period," grumbled Dean. "Seamus and I have to go to Ancient Runes."

"You two should have taken that class," Hermione said, turning to Harry and Ron. "It's a very interesting class."

As Ron and Hermione started discussing why Ancient Runes would be important for Ron's future, the whole group started making their way through the throng of people heading out the door. Draco quickly snatched up his bag and followed them.

When they finally got out in the hallway, Harry and Ron said goodbye to their friends and walked off. As Hermione started walking towards the Ancient Runes class, Dean paused and turned to Seamus, who was looking the other way.

"Aren't you coming, Seamus?" Dean asked.

"No, I've got to go see Ginny before class starts," Seamus said. "I'll be there in a minute though."

"Okay," Dean replied, looking understanding. "See yah."

"Yeah," nodded Seamus. The boy then turned and walked off.

_What is going on?_ Draco thought, now thoroughly confused. He was just about to follow Seamus and find out for himself when Blaise Zabini appeared at his side.

"Come on, Draco," the black-haired boy said. "If we don't hurry we're going to be late for History of Magic."

"Oh…alright," Draco said, still watching Seamus's back.

"Why, do you have something else in mind?" Blaise asked, following Draco's gaze.

"What?" Draco asked, jerking his head to Blaise and looking as if he had just noticed he was there. "No," he replied disgustedly. "Come on, we don't want to be late." With that said, Draco pushed past Blaise and stalked down the corridor. Blaise watched him for a moment, curious, but only shrugged his shoulders and followed.

* * *

History of Magic, was, as usual, boring. Half of the class was asleep, hiding behind their propped up book so that Professor Binns wouldn't notice them. The rest, who were bravely attempting to understand what the teacher was saying, or at least listen, were staring bug-eyed at the front of the class. For the past hour and a half, Binns had been going on and on about the Goblin Rebellions of 1912, from which the only useful information that Draco had gained was that you should give goblins the same wages as a wizard lest they become mutinous and murder everyone. Despite the fact that Draco was awake, he was sure that his brain had actually lost some of the knowledge he had previously had. _Why did I pick this subject?_ Draco thought dully.

When Professor Binns finally released them from class, Draco hurriedly snatched his book from his desk and headed out the door, not even bothering to put it up. He just wanted out of the room before he died from boredom. Also, he needed to get out of sight of any of his fellow Slytherins. There was something he had to do.

Dodging in and out of people, Draco hurried down a few flights of staircases until he reached the hallway he wanted. Not all classes had yet been released and Draco was hoping he was in time. Behind the tapestry of Matilda the Monstrous Draco hid; he had discovered a few years ago that this tapestry hid a storage closet that he supposed only Filch and the house elves knew of.

Draco peered through a crack between the tapestry and the wall, hidden from sight in the dark closet, waiting until he saw a familiar head of hair; the flaming red color was recognizable from anywhere. Draco watched Ginny's head bob in and out of sight, coming ever closer. Just when she was walking past Matilda the Monstrous, Draco's hands shot out from their hiding place. One hand clamped around her mouth and the other wrapped around her waist. In a flash, she was behind the tapestry, her back firmly pressed against Draco's chest so that she couldn't see him.

A small squeal of surprise almost escaped her lips, but Draco's large hand made sure nobody heard it. At the moment, Ginny was frantically flailing her arms, trying to pry Draco's hand off her mouth so that she could scream. Draco could tell that she was just about to go for her wand when he wheeled her around, his hand still over her mouth.

"Ssh," he hissed, staring at her. Though there was little light seeping around the tapestry to light the closet, Draco could clearly see the look in Ginny's eyes. He had expected to see anger, possibly even confusion, but what he saw shocked him so much that he almost let her go. What he saw in her eyes was fear, pure and unbridled. In fact, her eyes were wet with tears that Draco could only assume had been because of what he had just done. Ginny's wide, fright-filled eyes narrowed slightly as recognition dawned on her. Instead of the anger that Draco was sure was about to come, he was surprised once again. He actually detected a bit of relief on her face as the fear slowly melted away.

"Look," Draco whispered, unsettled by the look in her eyes. "Just don't scream, okay?"

Ginny nodded so slightly that Draco wouldn't have been able to tell she had if his hand hadn't been on her mouth. He slowly lowered his hand and she watched him warily.

"Wh-what do you think you're doing, Malfoy?" she whispered disbelievingly. "And where are we?"

"We're behind the tapestry of Matilda the Monstrous," Draco replied quietly. "I found something last night."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, confusion clearly written on her face. Only now, anger, or perhaps annoyance, was surfacing as well.

"Last night I went back to that tunnel where the Harding kid was found," Draco began, "and I found another tunnel, one none of us had seen before."

"Why were you in the tunnel last night?" Ginny asked. Draco stared at her. He had just told her that he had found another tunnel, one that could possibly lead to whoever had taken those two boys, and she was asking him why he had gone? Draco's own temper started rising.

"I couldn't sleep," he stated irritably. "Happy now? Look, I just want to say that tonight we're going back down there to explore more. I didn't get a good look last time."

"So now you're ordering me around?" Ginny asked, folding her arms across her chest. Draco gaped at her as if she was crazy.

"No, I'm just telling you that we're going down there," Draco stated.

"Fine," Ginny said simply. This confused Draco even more. What was up with her? First she acted as if she didn't want to go, and now she was giving in so easily? Draco narrowed his eyes and inspected her, but she merely stared back resolutely.

"Fine then," Draco said, still somewhat suspicious. "Meet me at the entrance at midnight."

"Why does it always have to be midnight?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know," Draco said exasperatedly.

Ginny eyed Draco for another moment. Her irritation and anger vanished and one of slight curiosity replaced it. She opened her mouth to speak but then shut it, uncertain. She opened it again and said "Why – why did you – I mean…oh never mind," she muttered. Then she turned around and peeked around the tapestry. While shielding his eyes from the sudden bright light that filled the room, Draco looked over her shoulder to see that the hallways were now empty; he had been lucky that nobody had seen him grab Ginny. When Ginny saw that the coast was clear, she stepped into the hallway. As he watched her flaming red hair disappear, Draco thought he heard her say "See you at midnight," before the tapestry closed, sending the room into darkness once more.

_Well what was that about?_ Draco pondered. He wondered what she had been about to ask him, and it puzzled him greatly. _She should have just asked,_ Draco thought. _It's not like I would've bitten her head off or anything._ Then Draco thought about what he had just done. _Well, I_ _did just drag her into a closet and scare her half to death. Maybe that's what she was going to ask about. _This thought brought Draco back to the look of utter fear on her face. That disturbed him more than anything. He had hardly ever seen anybody look that scared, let alone a Weasley. Anytime he had seen one of them, they had been so headstrong and brave, no matter how bitter it was for him to admit.

"She's just another crazy girl with her emotions strung too high," muttered Draco, rubbing the back of his neck. Then Draco looked around and seemed to remember where he was standing.

Stretching slightly, he cautiously stepped out from behind the tapestry and walked down the hallway as if he had not just been hiding. Luckily there was nobody there, so he dropped his pretense of casualness.

As he walked back to the Slytherin dormitories, he thought about the night to come, and what would happen down in the tunnel.

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I didn't get nearly as much in this chapter as I wanted, so that's why it's so short. I had originally decided to put all of the upcoming trip back into the tunnel in this chapter, but it was going to take too long to do and I didn't want to keep you waiting anymore. Plus, if I wrote the tunnel scene now, I'd be very tired and it wouldn't be good. So it'll have to wait. Please review!

Lauren


	21. The Juggernaut

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

**Chapter 21: The Juggernaut**

Ginny sat nervously on her bed, staring at the clock on the nightstand. The red curtains were pulled around her bed, shutting out the moonlight that Ginny knew was there. The rest of the girls in her dorm were already asleep; Ginny could tell by their snores. In fact, as far as Ron, Harry, and Hermione were concerned, Ginny was asleep too. At least that was what she had told them an hour ago when she had left the common room. She honestly did try to sleep because she didn't know how long she or Draco would be down in the tunnel, but her nerves kept her from doing so. One thing that was bothering her was what Draco could have possibly found in the tunnel. She had been down there a few times by now and she knew that there was nothing new. Besides, even if he did "find" something, what could it be? Draco, as far as Ginny was concerned, was the guilty one; anything he found was probably evidence against himself. _Unless it's a trap…_Ginny tried to push that thought out of her mind. Draco had just saved her a few nights ago; why would he want to hurt her now? This made Ginny think about the rest of her day.

It had been going by fine enough to start with; Seamus even came to see her in between classes. However, her heart rate had skyrocketed when she had been pulled behind the tapestry that afternoon. When a hand had fastened over Ginny's mouth and she had been pulled from sight, the only thing she could think of were those two Slytherin boys. All day her mind had drifted to them, torturing her with thoughts; her nightmares of them weren't helping matters any. When she had seen that it was only Draco, however, relief swooped through her. She had never thought she'd ever be glad to see him, but she was that day.

In truth, Ginny was still bothered by why he had saved her in the Slytherin common room a few nights ago. She had almost asked in the storage closet, but she had changed her mind. He would probably just tease her about the whole situation if she brought it up, something she wasn't prepared to do.

_Perhaps tonight I'll ask,_ thought Ginny. _If an opportunity comes._

As the clock hands on Ginny's clock ticked to a quarter till midnight, Ginny silently pulled back her curtains and stood from the bed. She had been ready for quite some time, so she already had shoes on as well as her wand already in her robe pocket.

Tip-toeing out of the room, Ginny crept down the girls' staircase to the common room below. To her dismay, she heard voices, ones she recognized as Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

_They should be in bed!_ Ginny thought fiercely. _It's too late for them to be out. _Then the irony of what Ginny thought hit her and she stopped mentally chastising them. Instead she halted near the bottom of the staircase, still out of sight, and listened.

"Sodding potions essay," Ron was mumbling in his favorite armchair near the fire. "We'll never finish it in time, Harry."

"We have to," yawned Harry. "It's due tomorrow."

"Honestly, boys, you should have started this days ago," said a clearly exasperated Hermione. "I'm not going to stay up forever to help you. I do need sleep, you know."

"No, we didn't know that, Hermione," snapped Ron, his exhaustion making him cranky. "We thought you were superhuman and could survive with little to no sleep. Because, you know, you are superhuman in the sense that you don't even have to study to get full marks on an exam!"

Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother. He always did get irritable when he missed sleep. Although she could only see the back of Hermione's head since the Head Girl was sitting on the couch and facing the far wall, Ginny could just imagine the look of outrage on her face.

"Really, Ronald, I'm only trying to help you," she said defensively.

Ron mumbled something under his breath that faintly sounded like an apology, but Ginny couldn't tell. She crouched down on the stairs and continued to watch the three friends, who were the only other people in the room. They were all facing the fireplace on the opposite wall, their backs turned to Ginny. Impatiently she glanced at the clock on the wall. It was five minutes till midnight. If she didn't hurry, she was going to be late. Though the thought of causing Draco Malfoy to be angry was slightly pleasing, she didn't think it wise.

"Hurry up," Ginny whispered under her breath. However, she didn't think that her brother or his friends would be leaving anytime soon. Many times they'd stayed up hours past midnight finishing assignments. Mostly it was Harry and Ron staying up, but often Hermione would stay with them, helping with questions they had.

As a few more minutes passed by and still they didn't start to leave, Ginny decided that she'd just have to sneak by them. Their backs _were _facing Ginny; perhaps if she was quiet enough she'd make it. _It's worth a try,_ she thought.

Cautiously, making sure not to step on the creaky bottom step, Ginny stepped out of her cover behind the stares. Feeling that standing up was too conspicuous, Ginny crouched low to the floor and waddled towards the portrait hole. As she went, the brief memory of Draco saying that she walked like duck floated through her mind. Frowning, Ginny paused and shook her head. A glance at Harry, Ron, and Hermione told her that they were still silently busy, working on whatever assignment they had yet to finish.

Thankfully Ginny made it to the portrait hole without them turning around. She quietly pushed it open and walked through.

"Who goes there?" asked the sleepy Fat Lady. However, Ginny wasn't stopping to answer. She sprinted down the hallway before the Fat Lady ever had a chance to call after her.

When she got around the corner, Ginny briefly stopped to catch her breath. _Whatever ferret-boy found better be good._

Before she had fully caught her breath, Ginny took off running again, determined not to be too late.

When she had run down the last flight of steps and turned the last corner before the entrance to the tunnel, she slowed to a walk, trying to catch her breath. Standing outside an old wooden door was a very impatient looking Slytherin. Draco, his arms folded, was tapping his foot against the ground and looking very angry.

"You're late," he said scathingly. "I said midnight," he added as he watched Ginny approach. "You know what time it is, Weasley? It's fifteen minutes past midnight."

"I'm…here…aren't I?" Ginny panted as she reached the door. "Let's just get this over with."

Scoffing, Draco walked through the door first, not bothering to hold it open for Ginny.

"Like I was saying earlier," Draco said, "I found another tunnel down here last night."

"But that's impossible," Ginny countered, following Draco through the almost-pitch black passageway. "There's only one tunnel down here. Remember, we've been down here before."

"I know," snapped Draco as he shined his wand ahead of them. "But I'm telling you I found another one. And pull out your wand, Weasley. It's dark down here."

Ginny rolled her eyes and lit her wand; the extra glow _did _help with visibility.

"So what is it that you found down here?" Ginny asked, impatience dimly shining through in her voice. "It better be something important because you have no idea what I went through to get down-"

"Save your sad story for somebody who actually cares, Weasley," Draco drawled, and Ginny glared at his back but remained silent, waiting for Draco to answer his question. "I found a lake."

"A what?" Ginny asked, her eyes widening. "There aren't any lakes down here."

"Well you just keep telling yourself that," said Draco, "and then tell _me_ what the large hole in the ground filled with water is when we get to it."

"Aren't you in a pleasant mood tonight?" Ginny retorted.

"Always am," Draco replied casually as the tunnel started to slope downward.

"Obviously you don't know the meaning of sarcasm," Ginny muttered, breathing in the chilly, musty air. She couldn't believe how quickly the air would become cold; it was as if they walked through an invisible barrier that separated warm air from cold. She drew her robe tighter around her and stumbled along down the slightly rocky slope.

"Should be just up ahead here," commented Draco.

"How come we never saw a lake before, Malfoy?" Ginny asked, still puzzled about why there was a lake under Hogwarts.

"I don't know," Draco replied, and Ginny could hear the hesitancy in his voice. "It was like I was in a completely different tunnel last night; I thought I was in the same one, but it was a different passageway."

Ginny wrinkled her brow and stared at the ground, determined not to fall over the loose rock. However, she failed to see that Draco had stopped in front of her, resulting in Ginny stepping on his heels.

"Get off, Weasley," Draco said absently, lacking the anger that usually would be directed at anybody who accidentally came in contact with him. Ginny moved to stand by his side and watched him warily. He seemed to be examining their surroundings carefully, his face full of disbelief.

"What the – but…" Draco stammered, looking at the tunnel ahead which showed that a sharp right turn was coming up.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, looking back and forth between the right turn ahead and Draco's face.

"Last time the tunnel turned left, not right," Draco said, now glaring at the tunnel as if it were the tunnel's fault.

"But that's impossible," Ginny stated assuredly. "Passageways don't just change."

Draco turned the corner, walked a few paces, and then came back. Briefly Ginny wondered if the Slytherin was possibly making the whole thing up, but she didn't think him that great of an actor; his face clearly showed that he had no idea what had happened with the tunnel. Ginny sighed and looked around unconcernedly. The ceiling was, she guessed, about seven feet off the ground; the passageway itself was probably only a few feet wider.

Ignoring Draco's mutterings of stupid caves, Ginny walked around, idly kicking rocks about and now wishing that she'd stayed in bed.

"So, I guess I was right when I said that there was no lake, right?" Ginny asked smugly. Draco turned around and glared at her.

"There is a lake, or something like it, down here," he said scathingly. Then he turned back to face the tunnel ahead, and said under his breath, "I've just got to find it."

"You do know that you sound crazy, right?" Ginny asked. She walked towards where the far cave wall that curved parallel to the right turn and sat down, resting her back against the wall. "Because you do sound crazy."

"Shut up, Weasley," snapped Draco. "Why don't you do something useful and look."

"For what?" Ginny whined. She knew she was being annoying, but she couldn't help it. It was late, she was tired, and down in a cold tunnel with a seemingly-crazy Slytherin boy. She traced her fingers in an indent in the ground next to her, watching as Draco approached her.

"I don't know for what," he said icily. "But I'm telling you that there's a lake down here. All we've got to…do…is…" Draco trailed off, staring at Ginny's hand.

The girl ceased tracing the small hole in the ground and looked back at Draco. "What?" she asked.

"Move your hand," ordered Draco, bending down next to her. Puzzled, Ginny scooted over and looked at Draco carefully. He was on his knees, staring at the spot where Ginny's left hand had just been. He gently traced the cut out with his fingers, a wondrous look on his face. "Perhaps…"

"What is it?" Ginny asked, trying to hide her curiosity. Ignoring her, Draco reached into his robe and pulled out a curious looking object that seemed to be about one foot long, round, and as smooth as anything Ginny had ever seen. She watched breathlessly as Draco inserted the object into the small hole in the ground; it fit perfectly.

Almost as if on cue, a humming sound filled the cave. It started from around the corner and seemed to be coming towards them. Scrambling backward, Ginny waited anxiously as the sound became louder and louder. A cool breeze also started, rippling Ginny's robes about her. She raised one hand to shield her eyes and looked down the tunnel, but she couldn't see anything. When it seemed as if the humming sound was upon them, the wind rose to a ferocity that threatened to rip Ginny's wand from her hand; the light at the tip flickered briefly before going out. Now all that remained was the light from Draco's wand.

"Look," Draco said, pointing a few feet to Ginny's left at the wall that she had previously been resting against. The wall seemed to shimmer iridescently and small ripples went through it, almost as if it was water. Then, abruptly, the stone wall was gone, revealing a tunnel that traveled left. The humming seemed to raise in volume so that it was almost a shriek and Ginny clapped her hands over her ears. She looked back towards the tunnel that turned right and saw the same shimmering across the whole entrance that led that way. Before she could even blink, the right tunnel was gone, replaced by a stone wall that looked just as real as any other. The humming sound stopped, seeming to fall straight out of the air, and the wind settled down to a gentle breeze before dieing out completely, sending the tunnel into silence other than Ginny's heavy breathing.

"Whoa," Ginny said, staring at the new tunnel.

"Crazy, am I?" Draco said, lifting an eyebrow at her. She hadn't noticed before, but Draco was now kneeling next to her, so close that the tips of their knees were brushing together. She scooted away and stood, peering down the tunnel that was pitch black.

"Lumos," she whispered, and her wand once again lit up. Even with the new light, she couldn't see anything of the new tunnel other than it sloped down steeply and was filled with many rocks.

"I hate to say I told you so," Draco said smugly, "but…I told you so."

"Fine, Malfoy," Ginny sighed. "You were right."

"Of course I was," Draco said, taking the lead. He stepped slowly into the new tunnel and started downward. Ginny, instead of following him, watched him for a minute. When he realized that she wasn't behind him, Draco turned around. "Aren't you coming?" he asked.

"Yes," Ginny said, starting down the steep, rocky hill, "but what was that back there? With the noise, and the wind? I mean, tunnels don't just go changing like that."

"We're in a school filled with magic, Wealsey," drawled Draco as he carefully stepped over a rock. "Anything's possible."

"Yes but do you think Dumbledore knows about it?" Ginny asked, struggling to keep her footing on the steep incline. As far as she could tell, the bottom of this hill was a long ways away; the darkness didn't help matters.

"I don't know," Draco shrugged his shoulders.

"But what was that thing you put in the ground?" persisted Ginny. "And where did you get it from?" Ginny could hear a hiss of impatience escape Draco's mouth.

"Will you shut up about it, Weasley?" Draco growled. Ginny rolled her eyes, huffed with annoyance, and followed the older boy down the tunnel.

Another large boulder about the size of Ginny's bed appeared before them, and Draco started climbing over it. Obviously on the other side of the boulder the ground dropped off considerably, because when he jumped over the side, Ginny could hardly see the top of his head. Ginny started pulling herself over the rough stone and looked over the side. She sat down and prepared to scoot herself off; one thing she knew was that she wasn't going to jump as Draco had. When she landed on the dirt ground below, the force of her impact plus gravity caused her to stumble forwards out of control.

"Watch out," Draco said, shooting his arm out to stop her from falling. The tone of voice in which he said it didn't indicate that he was worried that she would get hurt, rather, he said it more as a threat.

"Well sorry for getting in your way," spat Ginny, rubbing her arm where Draco had grabbed her.

"Why does it seem that I'm always saving you?" Draco asked irritably, starting down the tunnel again.

"No you're not," Ginny countered, though she knew her words to be false. In fact, Draco _had _been saving her quite lately. The thought that a Malfoy kept saving a Weasley was both disturbing and embarrassing at the same time.

"Really," Draco commented, carefully stepping forward. "Well let's just start at the beginning of the year then, shall we?" he said, pretending to think hard. "There was that time during detention and that creature started attacking you…I cursed it off. Then when we were out in that snowstorm and you kept falling down all over the place, I was the one to push your onward." Draco ticked off the instances on his fingers. "And then in the common room the other night…" he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders. "Seems as if I've been doing that a bit lately."

"Well if you'll recall," Ginny said heatedly, "I was only in all of those instances because of you. If it hadn't been for you-"

"I didn't get you a detention," retorted Draco as he whirled about to face her. Since Ginny was standing farther up the hill than Draco, their height difference cancelled out and they were staring each other straight in the face.

"Close enough," Ginny said through gritted teeth. "And speaking of those instances," she said, her voice quieting a bit, "why _did _you save me the other night…back in the Slytherin dorms?" She watched Draco, trying to hide her anxiousness. He watched her as well with an expression on his face that Ginny couldn't quite describe. He seemed wary yet embarrassed at the same time. Then he turned around again and resumed his decent.

"It was a reflex," he muttered. "Besides, it's not human nature to just watch some guy curse a girl who was so obviously helpless."

"I am not helpless," retorted Ginny indignantly.

"Oh yeah?" Draco called over his shoulder. "Well if you're not, then I'd hate to see what you call helpless, because when I walked in the common room, you seemed mighty helpless to me."

Ginny blinked and kept walking. In truth, she knew that she had been fairly helpless; that fact alone bugged her. She didn't want to admit it to anyone, especially Draco Malfoy. The thing that bothered her now was why Draco wasn't soaking up the glory, rubbing in the fact that she had been helpless, demanding a thank you. His current behavior was very un-Malfoyish; she wasn't prepared to handle this attitude. Draco, however, kept carefully walking down the tunnel, his feet crunching in the loose gravel.

"Well aren't you going to demand that I say thank you?" Ginny asked exasperatedly. She may not like it, but she was expecting it.

"You actually want to say that to a Malfoy?" Draco asked.

"Well…no – but…" Ginny trailed off uncertainly. What_ should_ she say? Common decency demanded that she say thank you, but her age-old rivalry with the Malfoy family prevented her from consciously saying those two words. A quick, inner battle between Ginny's conscious and her pride took place, a battle where Ginny struggled to ignore the pricking feeling in the back of her mind that she needed to say thank you. In the end, she shelved her pride and opened her mouth.

"Well…thank you, I guess," she mumbled uncomfortably.

"Excuse me?" Draco asked, turning around; Ginny saw that his eyebrows were raised in disbelief.

"You heard me," Ginny said, now wishing that she had said nothing. Draco's gaze turned to the rock wall and he remained quiet for a moment. Then, without a word, he turned around and continued walking.

"You're welcome," he mumbled, so softly that Ginny almost didn't hear him. Her eyes widened and she was about to ask him if he had just said you're welcome, but she held herself back.

_This is one strange night,_ thought Ginny.

* * *

Draco angrily trudged forward down the hill, inwardly cursing himself. Why had he just said that to the little weasel? It undermined everything a Malfoy was. _But do I really want to be a Malfoy? _Draco thought. Not the kind his father was, anyway; but he didn't have to be like his father. He could still be a Malfoy without being a Death Eater. He could change his fate, one which seemed to be carved in stone.

He could hear Ginny behind him, carefully picking her path through the rocks. He almost wished she'd fall, just so he wouldn't look as much a fool. Draco shuddered at what Ginny might be thinking of at that very moment. _Draco Malfoy: ferret turned friend._ He cringed and kept walking.

Soon, the two students reached the bottom of the tunnel. The same cavern that Draco had been in last night opened up before them, and he could hear Ginny's sharp intake of breath from behind him.

"What is this place?" she asked wondrously.

"That's what we're here to find out," Draco replied. He walked to the water's edge where he had landed from his desperate fall down the tunnel the night before and looked across the lake. He could hear the same trickling sound from the night before; he stared at where he knew the overhang was. The light from his wand didn't reach all the way across the lake, but he knew where the sound was coming from. He walked around the lake, distinctly aware of Ginny stumbling along, gazing in awe at the cavern. The brittle rocks beneath his feet crumbled with each step.

When he reached edge of the water which stretched under the overhang, he stopped walking and looked up. Though he was tall, he couldn't see over the top of the rock very well. Ginny, on the other hand, as she caught up to him, hardly came level with the top even when she stood on her tip-toes; she could almost see over though. Instead, she fell back on her heels, folded her arms across her chest, and huffed in annoyance. Draco turned away and grinned; obviously she wasn't happy about not being able to see.

"What's the matter there, kid?" Draco asked teasingly, letting Ginny see his amusement. "Little short?" This remark earned Draco a deathly look from Ginny; despite the show of anger, he saw her cheeks redden slightly, which made his grin broaden even more.

"I am not short," Ginny replied indignantly. "I'm just not a gangly tall like you are."

Draco snorted. "Gangly tall? Brilliant one, Weasley." Ginny huffed again and turned away.

* * *

Ginny frowned as she looked away from Draco. Perhaps "gangly tall" had not been her best insult…Actually, that insult was far from the truth. Sure, Draco was tall, but certainly not gangly. Years of playing Quidditch had paid off in the form of broad shoulders and a chest with defined muscles, something she had noticed when he had snatched her from the hallway that day and pulled her against him into the hidden passageway. No, gangly wasn't the right word to describe him. She'd never tell him she had noticed his muscles though. Nope, not when she had a boyfriend; besides, it was Malfoy. Saying something like that was practically forbidden.

_Stop thinking about this,_ Ginny ordered herself. She glanced backwards at Draco who was now examining the rock. Occasionally he leaned up on the balls of his feet to peer over the top; even with his height he could barely see over. He shined his wand over the top and stretched to his full extent, but leaned back down, obviously unable to see much.

"What are we doing over here?" Ginny asked, not bothering to hide the impatience in her voice.

"Come here, Weasley," Draco replied, ignoring her. With some hesitance Ginny came forward until she was standing beside Draco. She refused to look at the rock wall of the overhang, remembering what insult it had caused her, and instead stared straight at Draco. The lake continued to flow under the part of the overhang that reached farther down the cave; indeed, it was a large overhang.

"You need to help me up," Draco stated, pointing behind Ginny at the cave wall.

"Are you crazy?" Ginny asked. "I can't help you up that thing," she turned and motioned to wall. "And besides, you're a _wizard_…you can just levitate yourself up it."

"Because then I would lose the light from my wand," Draco replied matter-of-factly.

"There's my wand you can see from," Ginny said.

"But I'll be the one getting over the top of this overhang," Draco countered. "If I levitate myself, I won't be able to see where I'm going as I get up there."

"Again," Ginny said exasperatedly, "you'll be able to see with the light from my wand. I can shine it over the top for you."

"You're too short," Draco replied, his smirk turning into a grin. "Remember?" Ginny's face flushed again.

"Am not short," muttered Ginny, looking away, desperately wishing her face color would return to normal. She hated that Malfoy was able to embarrass her like this, that she let herself be embarrassed.

"Bend over," Draco said, spinning his finger toward the ground. When he received a raised eyebrow and look from Ginny that seemed to ask "Excuse me?" he sighed and said, "So I can stand on your back to get up there."

If possible, Ginny's face turned even redder. _What is this, Embarrass the Bubotuber Pus out of Ginny Day? _Ginny sighed and shook her head. She still didn't understand why they were even down there. What could Draco have possibly found? If he was guilty, which Ginny was now starting to question, then why would he be pointing out evidence against himself? It made no sense. _But maybe he's not guilty,_ thought Ginny. She shook that thought aside. Impossible. Who else hated muggleborns with such a fury?

Grudgingly, Ginny bent down on her knees and placed her hands on ground before her, hating the fact that she was listening to Malfoy. She could practically hear his smirk of triumph as he stepped onto her back and pulled himself over the top of the overhang. Her back sank slightly under his weight, but he was off her before she even could register his presence. The light in the cavern dimmed considerably at the loss of his wand light as he disappeared over the top, and she immediately stood up.

Looking up, she could see Draco's form standing on top of the rock and looking around. He started to walk out of sight and Ginny called out.

"Malfoy! You get back here and help me up!" she shouted, jumping slightly. Except for the slight trickling sound of water, only silence answered her. "Malfoy!" Immediately he popped back into sight, and Ginny jumped back, startled.

"What?" he returned innocently.

"You know what…help me up," Ginny said irritably.

"And why would I want to do that?" Draco asked.

"Malfoy…"

"Alright, alright," Draco said, holding up his hand as if to ward off the temper he knew was brewing; he did, however, look slightly annoyed. "Hold out your arms," Draco said, placing his right foot forward and his left behind him for balance. "Grab my arms just above the elbows," he commanded. Standing mere inches away from the wall, Ginny did as he said, leaning up as far as she could to reach him. Draco grasped her arms in a similar fashion, wrapping his hands around each of her arms just above her elbows. "Now when I count to three," Draco said, "start walking up the wall."

"What?" Ginny asked, her eyes widening.

"One," Draco started.

"I don't think -" Ginny began nervously

"Two,"

"That this is going to -"

"Three," Draco said, and he pulled.

_Work,_ thought Ginny as she placed her feet on the wall. Vertigo settled in as she tilted backwards and started moving up. Before she could even silently curse Malfoy for this, she found herself standing beside him on the top of the overhang, roughly five feet off the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief that she had made it over the top safely, noticing a small stream of water that was traveling over the top and falling into the lake below. Looking over her shoulder, Ginny saw that the cavern looked a bit different from this high up and she saw that the lake disappeared somewhere under them, traveling a ways beneath the overhang she was now standing on.

Abruptly she realized that she was still holding Draco's arms and she dropped them. She stepped past him, intending to go on, but she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening in fear. Draco turned around to follow her and she felt him stiffen as he saw what lay before them; obviously he had missed it earlier.

"What is that?" Ginny asked, pointing her shaking finger at the man, no, _thing,_ before them. The thing appeared in the shape of a man, yet an inhuman feel emanated from him. His face was a normal, human-looking, but his unusually green eyes seemed hollow with a strange look that Ginny couldn't identify. Hunger? Power? Eagerness? Ginny shivered with the look on his face. His head, upon which rested soft brown hair that almost seemed watery, was cocked to the side and a deathly look of curiosity was placed on it.

Standing at roughly seven feet tall, this man-like creature almost blocked the passageway that led into darkness behind him. Black pants and a black shirt covered the creature and his almost-oversized arms were hanging at his sides; there was no trace of a wand on him and thus Ginny didn't know if he was a wizard or not. She doubted it though; she'd never before seen a wizard that looked quite like this.

Ginny raised her wand before her warily, glancing at Draco at her left. "What do you think that is?" Ginny hissed at him, not wanting the creature before them to hear.

"I don't know," Draco replied cautiously, his own wand raised, ready. Ginny was suddenly glad that she wasn't alone with whatever kind of monster this was. In fact, having Draco, who might have learned more powerful magic from his father, with her at the moment might be a good thing.

Cautiously, tired of just standing by, Ginny stepped forward. She could feel Draco's eyes on her back as she went, and she hoped his wand was steadier than hers. In truth, she didn't know why she was going towards this thing, but she had to know if it was truly dangerous, if it would let them pass.

Bad mistake.

As she neared, the creature held one of its arms before it, silently commanding Ginny to stop, which she did. Draco slowly appeared at her side; Ginny was unaware that he had been following her.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Ginny asked, her eyes still on the creature, whose arm was still outstretched.

Without answering her, Draco raised his wand higher and the light went out of it. "Fluoneros," he said softly, and the light from the tip of his wand flew outward in a pearly string. The light traveled forward until it reached the wall of the cavern and then it traveled up the wall until it reached the ceiling. The string spit into two and one strand traveled left while the other went right. Unwilling to turn her back from the creature before her yet curious to see what the light was doing, Ginny looked over her shoulder to see the each strand flying very quickly along the ceiling where the ceiling and the wall met until they hit each other on the other side of the cavern. The light left Draco's wand yet remained against the ceiling, lighting the cavern up with a glow like that of early morning.

Briefly, Ginny wondered in annoyance why he hadn't thought to use that spell earlier, but the sound the creature was now making jerked her face back to look at it. Something that sounded like a mix between a growl and a sigh escaped his mouth and he straightened his back, now staring at Draco.

"Keep your wand ready," Draco said firmly, his face a cold mask of concentration.

"What are you going to -" Ginny began, but Draco held up his hand in front of her before taking a step forward.

"Stupefy!" he cried, and a jet of red light shot towards the creature that was guarding the tunnel entrance. The being took one quick step forward and his arm again short forward; it caught the red light in its palm, completely unaffected. Ginny's eyes widened. Then it squeezed its hand into a fist, trapping the swirling red light. Draco shifted his feet, watching uncertainly. Without warning, the creature's hand flexed open and the red light shot towards Draco. The Slytherin was unable to shout a proper defense in time and the light caught him straight in the chest. Instead of collapsing unconscious as would normally happen when one was stupefied, Draco flew backwards off of the overhang and fell with a sickening crash into the lake.

"Draco!" Ginny cried. Turning her back on the creature, Ginny ran to the edge of the overhang and looked down into the lake. She saw a blonde head sticking out of the water slightly before it dipped below the surface; all she could see now was a bit of blonde under the clear blue water.

Panic settled in then. Panic that Draco might be drowning and panic that she was now left alone to face this supernatural being. Ginny whirled around to face the attacker and jumped back in shock.

It was now standing one foot in front of her, grinning oddly down at her; she hadn't even heard it approach. Her eyes wide with fear, Ginny raised her wand to curse it but with a lightning-quick move, its hand lashed out and curled around Ginny's neck, lifting her up off the ground. Her feet dangled in the air and she was vaguely aware that now there was no ground under her, that the creature was holding her over the side of the overhang. She tried to pry the hand off of her neck but was unable to get a firm grasp on her assailant. Dark spots appeared in her vision and Ginny opened her mouth, trying to capture any bit of oxygen, anything that would let her jinx the creature. All she managed to do was to noiselessly open and shut mouth like a fish on land, her efforts in vain.

Up close, the face of the accursed creature looked twice as evil, twice as cold, and twice as dangerous. Its eyes, once green, were now a dark blue, blue as deep and endless as the sea, sunk far within its face. Grinning, the creature revealed two rows of teeth that looked as if they'd never been cleaned, and reeked of something foul, something that would have made Ginny gag if she had had the oxygen to do so.

Just when Ginny was sure she was about to pass out, the creature shoved her farther into the empty air and released its grasp.

Sucking in a much-needed breath of air, Ginny didn't even have time to scream as she plummeted to the ground below.

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A/N: Alright, I'm really sorry for the long wait. My free time is almost completely gone. I'll just let you know now that this chapter didn't turn out at all how I wanted it. I didn't get all I wanted to in it but I figured yall have waited long enough, and plus a nice ending came up, so I went with it. I think the only thing that really turned out was the title of the chapter. I finally came up with a cool one! And it fits too, given what just happened...

Just review please!

Lauren


	22. Only Time Will Tell

Okay, well let me start out by saying that I'm very sorry about the long wait. I ran into one of the most stubborn bits of writer's block I've ever seen, and boy let me tell you that this bugger did not want me to get away alive! No matter how much I poked him and told him to go away, he just wouldn't listen. And I actually have a logical reason for the writer's block. You see, there is just so much that I wanted to put in this chapter, but I didn't know where exactly to put it. There was so much that it just boggled my brain. But I'm fine now, and I got everything in. Now, I have _lots_ of author notes on this chapter. Most are at the end though, because they deal with stuff that went in the chapter. So please bear with me, and _please read the notes_.

Alright, so I'll just tell you now that there's a bit more angst in this chapter than normal. Not much, but I'm just letting you know. Also, Ginny and Hermione (mostly Hermione) act a bit more girly in this chapter than usual.

Another little note that you **MIGHT WANT TO KNOW BEFORE READING THE CHAPTER** is that "Reina" is pronounced as (ree-nah). (ree) rhymes with "tree" and the (nah) is like the last syllable in "banana." Reina is introduced in this chapter. And if any of you want to know how anything else in this story is pronounced, then just ask in a review and I'll tell you.

One last thing. Since it's been so long since I've updated, you might want to read the last chapter again, or at least the last few paragraphs so you know where I left off. Just a suggestion.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Harry Potter, though I do own all 4 movies.

**Chapter 22: Only Time Will Tell**

Draco's room had never felt lonelier before in his life. Forrest green curtains hid the seventh year boy from his sleeping dorm mates. The dark room held no hints of friendly moonlight that night. Nothing moved. Nothing elicited any sound whatsoever.

Nothing at all.

Indeed, if one were to look upon the still form of Draco Malfoy lying atop his bed, he would appear dead to the world.

That was not the case, however.

Draco Malfoy was actually wide awake. His arms, folded behind his neck, elevated his head slightly off the pillow. Each leg was stretched out before him, spread wide for comfort. His cool gray eyes stared straight forward, resting on a tattered thread that hung from the top of his curtain. The thread wasn't interesting or captivating in the least, but Draco's mind wasn't paying attention to it anyway. It wasn't even in his room.

It was still down in the tunnel, reliving every moment, every terrifying feeling that his life was about to end, every neck hair standing on end, every drop of water that clung to his face, every chatter of his teeth, every goose bump raised from his skin like bas-relief, every desperate gulp to seek air, every ragged cough once it was found…

_**Flashback**_

Water. Everywhere. That was the only thing Draco was conscious of. Water filled his mouth, his eyes, his nose, his ears; he couldn't figure out where he was or what had happened. Draco moved his arms only to find that they were moving much slower than normal. Why was that? Oh, yes, the water. But why was there water? So many questions yet there seemed to be no answer.

Then a burning sensation filled his lungs; they felt like they were on fire. But how could there be fire and water at the same time? It made no sense. Draco looked about but with all the water in his eyes, he couldn't figure out where he was.

_You're drowning._

That realization hit him before the logic of how he came to be in this situation did. He flailed his arms, trying to find the surface. But which way was up? How could he be sure? Each way looked the same to him.

His mind functioning so much slower than usual was no doubt thanks to the water. Draco sluggishly started pushing his way in one direction; it wouldn't matter if it was the wrong way; he doubted he'd make it there to find out.

As he got closer, though, Draco saw that it was indeed the right way, that the surface lay just above him. He could see lights above. But then the lights blurred together and suddenly, each way seemed bright. Which way was up, again? Which way held life? Draco blinked slowly, wishing that the water would get out of his eyes, wishing that the feeling wouldn't make him so nauseous; but then, nausea wouldn't really matter if he was dead.

And then the recognition that he was indeed dying punched him in the stomach, giving him an extra boost of energy.

_I will not die,_ thought Draco. _I will not die._

He swam a little farther up, pumping his legs as hard as he could. They barely moved.

_I will not die._

The water's surface shined, beckoning him to come closer, teasing him…

_I will not die._

Draco thought that his whole brain had turned to liquid given how much good it was doing him. Just a little closer and he'd be free.

_You'll never be free,_ a haunting voice echoed through his mind. _Never…_

_I will not die!_ Thought Draco fiercely as his head broke the surface. Air rushed into his mouth and sought passage down his throat, only to be denied by the water that blocked it. The air disappointedly flowed back out of his mouth, followed by the obtrusive water which left most willingly.

Draco spat water out of his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut as water beaded down his hair and onto his face. Though they felt like lead, his arms kept him afloat. Draco opened his mouth as wide as he could and welcomed the familiar feel of oxygen traveling down his throat, easing the burning away. Then the coughing came. Barks hoarsely escaped his throat and his chest which was still lacking sufficient oxygen, still constricting with the effort of breathing. Draco switched back and forth between gasping for air and coughing, sending the air straight back out. He brought one arm up and numbly brushed the water out of his eyes. With sight came recognition. With recognition came remembrance. A whirlwind of memories stormed through Draco's head, almost making him dizzy again.

The tunnel.

The stone.

The switching passageways.

The cavern.

Ginny.

Climbing up the overhang.

The monster.

A flash of red light.

His name being shouted.

Water.

Darkness.

Draco glanced around anxiously. He was in the middle of the lake and right before him was the shore. He dog-paddled to it, still trying to fully rid himself of the fuzziness. What had the thing been and why had it been there? And where was Ginny?

The answer to the latter became clear as he stumbled ashore. Ginny was lying face-up on the ground half a dozen feet from the overhang, one hand holding her forehead and the other lying at her side. Only semi-conscious, her eyes were slightly glazed and her chest was rising and falling with rapidity. _She must've fallen,_ Draco thought.

He dropped to his knees and bent over her. When a few drops of water splashed onto Ginny's face, her eyes jumped to Draco. She blinked once and then squeezed her eyes shut tight, grimacing as she put her other hand to her head.

"My head," she moaned quietly, rolling slightly away from Draco. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him.

"We have to get out of here," he said more roughly than he had intended.

"But what about that -"

"Don't worry about that now," he said, pulling her into a sitting position. Pain flashed across her face and Draco momentarily wondered if perhaps she was injured more seriously than one major headache, but that pain was gone before he could think twice about it. Ginny struggled to get to her feet, not seeming to notice that Draco was steadying her. She eyed his sopping wet clothes and seemed like she wanted to ask if he was alright, but their rivalry came between them and wouldn't allow her to.

Draco, once he was sure she wasn't going to fall over on him, took his hands off her shoulders and stepped past her, heading towards the incline out of the cavern. Ginny followed him silently. Obviously she didn't want to go back to whatever kind of monster they had just faced. Normally, Draco wouldn't accept defeat so quietly. However, he felt that two wizards who were both physically drained wouldn't stand much of a chance when they couldn't do much better even when they were perfectly fine. They'd have to form a plan before coming back. A mighty good one too.

The climb back up the rocky hill had been surreal for Draco. At times he was only aware of his side-ache and others he could only hear Ginny panting behind him. The time seemed to pass agonizingly slowly, each step taking more and more effort. Before he could quite yet comprehend it, however, they were both standing back at the top. Draco closed his eyes heavily before stepping out of the dark tunnel and into the familiar passageway. Looking to his left, he saw only a stone wall where he knew there was another tunnel. The stone in the ground was still firmly in place; he picked it up.

In contrast, the rest of the journey out of the tunnels passed quickly. He vaguely remembered the wind and humming as the passageways had changed back, the determined steps that brought him back into the castle, and the way in which he had looked at Ginny before he started off to the Slytherin common rooms. Draco was about to turn to the right and Ginny to the left. She paused and looked at him and once again and Draco recognized the look of somebody wanting to say something yet holding back. He had opened his mouth to tell her to ask whatever she wanted to but shut it, thinking of the possible situations that conversation might entail. It would be better to avoid those.

So instead, Draco turned and walked away, wishing his watery shoes would stop squelching against the floor.

_**End Flashback**_

Draco sighed and closed his eyes. He had changed into green and silver pajamas upon getting back to his room; he left his clothes lying in a soaking mass on the floor.

_Tonight did not go as planned,_ he thought wearily. But then what had he expected? Draco didn't know what had been down in the tunnel, but whatever it was, he hadn't been expecting _that. _What that thing possibly could have been was beyond Draco. _I wonder if Snape knows about it,_ Draco thought. _Or even Dumbledore._ The possibility of telling them was soon discarded. No, that would cause too many problems, arouse too many questions. It would be better if nobody knew about his and Ginny's midnight rendezvous. In fact, it would probably be better if he and Ginny stopped altogether.

The question of why he was even putting up with the littlest weasel crossed his mind. Why _was_ he still accepting Ginny's help? If her annoying jabber and constant antagonism could be considered help, that is. Draco could figure out who the kidnapper was by himself.

So why was Ginny there?

That question annoyed, intrigued, and embarrassed him all at the same time. If other people found out about him and Ginny, Draco would never live it down. Though he would never admit it, Draco sometimes found her presence comforting, if only to let him know he wasn't completely alone. Repulsing thought though it was, it was true. That scared Draco.

_I'm not going soft,_ Draco thought firmly. _I'm still king of Hogwarts.

* * *

_

Ginny took slow steps back towards the Gryffindor house. The events of the past hour would not allow her to go much faster. First off, her head was pounding from where she had hit it on the ground; she was surprised that the fall hadn't knocked her out, or even killed her. Instead she was left with a massive bump on her right scalp. Something that had relieved the pain, however, had been the sight of Draco bending over her. The fact that he was still alive was certainly cause for relief. She had still been worried over the creature atop of rocks but Draco had pulled her out of the cavern before she could ask much about it. The desire to face it again was not great, in any case. Ginny was glad they had left. She'd much rather never go down there again if she could help it.

She put her hand to her forehead as she came to a stop in front of the Fat Lady. What was the password again? Oh, yes, Mugwormp's root. She tapped the snoring portrait.

"Mmm?" mumbled the Fat Lady. "Somebody there? Oh…password?" she asked, barely opening her eyes.

"Mugwormp's root," replied Ginny quietly. The portrait swung forward and Ginny entered into the common room.

She was just making her way around one of the couches and heading for the staircase when somebody asked "Ginny?"

Ginny froze and turned around only to come face to face with Hermione. The older girl had her wand in one hand and half of a burnt piece of parchment in another. Ginny plastered a casual look on her face and smiled slightly at Hermione.

"Hey, Hermione," she said. "What are you still doing up?"

"I might ask the same of you," Hermione frowned, sitting back on the couch. She was clearly exhausted. Ginny looked around and saw no traces of Harry, Ron, or any other person. "So what were you doing out? You know it's against the rules since it's past curfew and everything."

Ginny swallowed, trying to hide her nerves. "I was just at the library looking…for some more information on my…report that's…due," she finished rather lamely. Hermione looked doubtfully at her for a moment before turning away. "You're not going to turn me in, are you Hermione?" Ginny asked. Worry settled in the pit of her stomach before Hermione turned an affronted look towards Ginny.

"Of course I wouldn't, Ginny," Hermione stated. "You know I wouldn't do that."

"Yeah, I know," said a very relieved Ginny, settling back more comfortably in the couch.

"When did you leave?" Hermione puzzled. "I've been down here for hours and I haven't seen anybody else."

"Oh," said Ginny. "Well, I came down around midnight and you and Ron and Harry seemed busy so I didn't bother you." A shadow seemed to pass over Hermione's face at the mention of the two boys, but it was gone before Ginny could look again.

"You've been in the library for two hours?" Hermione asked, disbelievingly, motioning to the clock on the wall; it was almost two in the morning. Ginny didn't know she'd been gone that long; some of her nerves returned.

"Well, you know," Ginny said, "time flies when you're studying." This brightened Hermione's face.

"Yes it does," the Head Girl beamed.

"So, what are you still doing up?" asked Ginny, stifling a yawn. Hermione's face darkened again quickly.

"Harry finished his essay an hour ago but he stayed to help me with Ron's. After messing up ten essays and leaving them crumpled on the table, giving me a headache, and spilling a bottle of ink all over the floor, Ron finished his essay," Hermione sighed. "So then he was cleaning up and throwing his ruined essays in the fire, but he grabbed the wrong one and threw his completed essay in on accident." Hermione closed her eyes as if warding off a bad memory. Opening them, she continued, "Then he realized what he did and in a fit of panic, started shooting water out of his wand on the fire to put it out." Hermione shook her head. "He managed to put the fire out but then was too distraught to take his essay out of it."

"So where are they?" asked Ginny, looking around again. Hermione smiled, rolling her eyes ever so slightly.

"After working for hours with Ron on that stupid essay," she began, "I wasn't much more pleased than him to see it literally go up in flames. So I started yelling at Ron about his always botching things and…I don't know…" Hermione trailed off with a shrug. "I guess I must've looked a bit…_demented_ while I was yelling because he and Harry were absolutely terrified as they ran up the boys' staircase to get away from me," she finished with another smile. "I suppose I _was_ rather upset. I mean to just spend hours and _hours_ working on something only to mess it _all_ up by doing something as careless as to throw it into the fire. Honestly, it's beyond me how those two -"

"Hermione," Ginny interrupted, trying to calm Hermione who was rapidly becoming angrier at the memory. Hermione sent an apologetic look to Ginny and sighed again.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," she said quietly. "I guess I'm just tired."

_I'll second that,_ thought Ginny. "So did you get the essay back?" Ginny continued out loud. Hermione held up the tattered remains of a piece of parchment and Ginny grimaced. Ron would not be very happy.

"Yes, but I don't know if I can do anything for it," Hermione said sadly. "Well, anything short of re-writing it. I mean, I helped him on all of it so I basically know all that it said."

"Don't do that, Hermione," Ginny said softly but firmly. "There's no use working yourself silly over it."

"I know that," Hermione sighed, "but I feel like it. I don't want Ron getting in any more trouble with Snape." Ginny looked sadly at her friend. "But you go to bed," Hermione continued, waving towards the girls' staircase and standing up. "There's no sense in the both of us losing sleep."

Ginny, though reluctant to leave Hermione, very much desired to go to bed. It had been a long day. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" she asked.

"Of course I will," Hermione said, waving her hand non-chalantly. "I'll be fine; I always am."

"Okay," Ginny said quietly, walking towards the stairs. She paused with her foot on the bottom step and turned back to look at Hermione who was now resting in a chair at a table. "They don't deserve you, you know," she said quietly; Hermione looked up. "Harry and Ron, they don't appreciate you much. Or at least they don't show it."

"I know," sighed Hermione. "But I love them and I can't help it." She shrugged. "I suppose that's what friends do, right? Help each other?" It was a rhetorical question but Ginny nodded anyway.

"Yeah, it is," she said quietly. "Goodnight, Hermione," she said, turning up the stairs.

"Goodnight," she heard Hermione call after her.

* * *

Ginny groaned as her alarm clock woke her up at seven 'o clock. Given how sore and tired her body was from the day before, Ginny didn't think it humanly possible to get out of bed. Ignoring her instinct to stay in bed and suffer whatever punishment came from it, she sat up slowly. She waited for the blood rush to her head to settle before getting out of bed and scuffling her way towards the bathroom.

After a quick shower, Ginny magically dried her hair and changed into her clothes. Then she started down the staircase. She stopped when she reached the bottom.

Hermione was still partially in her chair, her head resting on her folded elbows on the table. Various books, ink bottles, and pieces of parchment were scattered around her brown hair and Ginny could see that her eyes were moving under the lids, showing that she was not sleeping peacefully. Only a few second years were over in the corner; obviously that had been afraid to wake her.

Ginny walked over to Hermione and nudged her shoulder carefully. "Hermione," she called gently. "Hermione, wake up." Hermione blinked and looked up at Ginny. She seemed confused for a moment about why she was in the common room, but then recognition dawned in her eyes and she sat up.

"What time is it?" she asked, sleep still heavy in her voice. She started ruffling through the parchment that littered the table.

"It's almost seven thirty," Ginny replied. "Were you down here the whole night?" Hermione nodded as she grabbed a paper and held it up.

"I finished it though," she yawned. "Ron's essay. I was able to remember everything so it wasn't like I was doing it for him. I was just re-writing it." She pinched the bridge of her nose as she held the essay up.

Just then, Ginny heard footsteps pounding down the staircase. A mop of red hair came into view as Ron, shortly followed by Harry, came down the stairs. Immediately after spotting Hermione, Ron eagerly walked over to her and snatched the essay from her hand.

"Oh, good, you saved it," Ron said, eyeing his paper. "So it wasn't a total loss." He didn't seem to notice that it wasn't his handwriting on the paper. "Come on, Harry, let's go before anything else happens to my paper."

Ginny stared open-mouthed at her brother as he dragged Harry towards the portrait hole. She was about to call after them to come back so that they could pay Hermione her due respect, but Hermione put a hand on Ginny's arm and shook her head. "Don't, Ginny," she sighed.

"But don't you just want to _smack_ him?" Ginny asked incredulously. "He didn't even say thank you!"

"What does it matter," Hermione said wearily. "I did that for him because I didn't want him to fail. I didn't do it so that he'd get down on his knees and kiss my feet with gratitude." Hermione stood and stretched.

"He still could have said thank you," murmured Ginny as she helped Hermione clean up the mess on the table. Hermione just shrugged and tossed the spoiled parchment into the fire.

"Don't forget," said Hermione, changing the subject, "we're going to Hogsmede next week to pick out dresses"

"Oh. Right." Ginny said. In truth, she had forgotten about getting a dress. She wasn't sure that she'd be able to afford something nice. She really wanted to buy a new broom because the school ones were unmanageable, but she also knew that she needed to look nice for the ball. _I'll figure something out,_ Ginny thought resignedly.

Together the two of them finished cleaning up from the night before and headed down to breakfast. Ron and Harry were already busy eating and Ginny promptly took to ignoring them, still upset over Ron's pig-headed treatment of Hermione. Hermione anxiously looked over at the Ravenclaw table and smiled when her eyes landed on the form of a young man who was busy chatting with another boy next to him. Ginny saw him glance out of the corner of his eyes towards the Gryffindor table and saw a smile form on his face. Instead of sitting at the Gryffindor table, Hermione started pulling Ginny with her towards the Ravenclaw table.

"Come on, Ginny," Hermione said. "I'll introduce you to Ewan." Ginny followed Hermione, eager to meet her friend's date for the ball. As she walked across the hall, she glanced backward and saw Harry and Ron watching them. She could practically hear Ron's indignant voice at not being invited over either, and she grinned.

In fact, she was still grinning when they arrived at the Ravenclaw table; Ewan had been watching them the whole time. He stood and said, while smiling at Hermione, "Hello."

"Hi," Hermione said, smiling back at him. "Ewan, this is Ginny. Ginny, Ewan." Hermione motioned with her hands as she introduced them. Ewan stuck out his hand for Ginny to shake and she did likewise. She noticed that Ewan had a firm yet gentle handshake. His eyes, as Hermione had stated in Ginny's dorm, were an incredible shade of blue, somewhere between an azure and sky blue.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ginny," he said. "Hermione's told me a lot about you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Ginny replied. "And trust me when I say that Hermione's told me even_ more_ about you."

Hermione glanced at Ewan and blushed. He moved some of his straight brown hair out of his face and motioned towards their table. "You want to eat with us this morning?" he asked. Hermione nodded and looked at Ginny, who agreed. Hermione sat down next to Ewan and Ginny took a seat across from them, sitting next to one of her classmates, Luna Lovegood.

The rest of breakfast passed with pleasant conversation between Ewan, Hermione, and Ginny, with the occasional comment from Luna. Ginny appreciated the chance to get to know Ewan better and soon saw why Hermione admired him so. He was much more of a gentleman than Ron and even more than Harry, he was pleasant to talk to, and he thought there was more to the world than just Quidditch. Overall Ginny quite enjoyed her morning.

* * *

Another week went by and excitement for the upcoming ball grew. Ginny's week passed with no drama in her classes and the change pleased her. In fact, she had hardly even seen Draco let alone talk to him. She wasn't sure if she was happy about this or not. She wasn't very keen on going back down into the tunnel but leaving that thing down there disturbed her. She considered telling the teachers about it but wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to let on that she'd been with Draco Malfoy.

That Saturday morning, Ginny woke early and excited. Students were allowed to go to Hogsmede today and Ginny and Hermione had plans to go shopping. There were several things that Ginny needed, including a dress for the ball. Christmas was in littler over a week though, and presents needed to be bought. She had been saving money for Christmas gifts all year, knowing that prices were bound to have risen in a year's time.

Ginny traipsed down the stairs and found the common room bustling with activity. Many first and second years were gathered in the corner and watching the older students, who were getting ready to go to Hogsmede, with envy. Some of the older students who were not planning on going to Hogsmede were sitting and talking, trying to hear each other over the loud voices of the others.

Spotting Harry, Hermione, and Ron standing near the window, Ginny walked over to them.

"Good morning, Ginny," Hermione said brightly.

"Good morning, Hermione, Ron, Harry," Ginny nodded at them. "Where's everybody else?"

"Seamus and Dean are coming with," Harry said. "We're all going to walk to Hogsmede, and then you girls can go do your thing," he motioned with his hands, "and we guys will do ours."

Ginny smiled and shook her head. At that moment, Seamus and Dean came down the stairs and walked over to them.

"Morning, all," Dean grinned. "Are we ready? We want to get there before the rest of the crowd."

"I think so," Ron said. "Hermione, where's this boyfriend of yours?"

"I told you, he's not my boyfriend," Hermione said irritably. _Yet,_ Ginny silently added. "Ewan is going to meet us downstairs and he's coming with us."

As the group of six exited the Gryffindor Tower and headed down the many flights of stairs, Ginny and Seamus fell back behind the others.

"So how are you doing," Seamus asked.

"Fine," answered Ginny. "I don't think it will take me and Hermione very long," Ginny answered.

"Good," said Seamus quietly. They fell silent as they walked side-by-side down the hallway. Seamus's hand casually slipped around Ginny's and she smiled at him. As they walked hand-in-hand down the hallway, Ginny spotted Draco standing next to Crabbe and Goyle; he was watching her and Seamus intently. Ginny swallowed and looked away, unnerved by his staring.

As they entered the Great Hall, Ginny saw Ewan walk over to them and Ginny waved. He smiled back at her as he approached.

"Hey, Hermione," he said. Hermione smiled at him and then motioned to the rest of her friends. "Ewan, these are my friends Harry, Ron, Dean, and Seamus. You already met Ginny." Ewan nodded at each of the boys and they all murmured various greetings. Hermione was watching them all anxiously. Ginny knew that Hermione wanted Ewan and her friends to get along, and she could only hope for the same. She saw Harry and Ron looking Ewan over as if inspecting him to see if he was good enough for Hermione.

"Well, we better move on, then," Hermione said, her hands clasped together before her nervously. "We don't want to waste time."

The seven students now made their way through the crowds towards the doors that led out of Hogwarts. Once they were outside and past Filch, the group seemed to relax a bit and Dean even started a conversation with Ewan about what classes the latter was taking. Ginny was glad he was trying to include him, was glad for Hermione's sake.

* * *

Draco sighed irritably as he, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy all made their way into Hogsmede. Several factors contributed to Draco's foul mood. The first and foremost factor was everybody else's cheerfulness. There was nothing more that a grumpy person hated than happy one. _I suppose it's all the excitement for Christmas,_ Draco thought.

Another thing bothering him was Pansy Parkinson, who insisted on following them into Hogsmede. Accepting the fact that Draco practically had no other choice in the matter, he had very reluctantly agreed to go to the ball with Pansy. That had caused Pansy to jump up and throw her arms around Draco, professing her love for him. He had pushed her away in disgust and said he was only going to please his father; Pansy had ignored this comment and only run upstairs to show Draco the costumes she had picked out for them. Simply put, what she had picked out for Draco was mortifying. A light brown dress robe that was covered in bird feathers, complete with a mask with a black beak on it. Draco wouldn't be caught dead wearing that costume, so his first order of business in Hogsmede was to pick out something else. He could, of course, just wear one of the many dress robes that he already had, but then there'd be no fun in that. Draco had plenty of money and he loved to spend it.

One more thing that bothered him was seeing Seamus Finnigan holding Ginny Weasley's hand. He had heard overheard Pansy and a couple of her friends saying that they were now dating. Draco didn't quite know what to think of the idea of them going out, but what could he do about it? He certainly wasn't going to fuss about it; that would mean that he actually cared, something a Malfoy _definitely_ didn't do.

So now the four of them were walking in a constricted silence down the path towards Hogsmede. Draco, in the lead, could hear Crabbe and Goyle lumbering behind. He almost felt a moment's pity for the two of them; it must be hard for them to walk on the snow-covered path. But then, they _were_ the ones who chose to eat themselves silly every meal. Draco couldn't help it if they were fat. The paths had, however, mostly been cleared free of snow. Most likely Hagrid or Filch had been assigned that task.

The Hogsmede shops soon came into view. The snowy roofs and smoke coming out of the chimneys made the buildings look like a gingerbread village. Many students were walking past them, laughing and throwing snowballs heartily at each other, caught up in the holiday spirit. Draco grimaced and looked for the nearest shop. Pansy came to his side and laced her arm with his. Draco shook her off.

"Alright, Pansy, I let you come this far with us," Draco said, "but now you leave. I have stuff to do."

"Ah, Drakie-poo, do I have to?" Pansy simpered, fingering Draco's sleeve. "I'd much rather stay here with you." She pressed herself closer to his side.

"Yes, you do have to go and no, I'd much rather you leave," Draco said, not caring that he sounded like a grouch. Pansy simply patted his shoulder and left. He saw her meet up with a bunch of her Slytherin friends and walk off, chatting loudly. He rolled his eyes and turned the other way, heading down the road.

On his right were a few shops that had advertisements hanging in the windows. A few shops were aimed towards young children, and many different toys were displayed in the windows. On the left were bookshops, restaurants, and other supply stores. He passed all of these, a destination already picked out. Armand's was the best men's clothing store in all of Hogsmede. The owner of the store, John Armand, was a respectable, pure-blood wizard who did not tolerate mudbloods or blood traitors. Expensive as Armand's clothing was, it was worth it. The latest styles were sure to be found there and Draco was sure he would be the best-dressed person at the ball.

Aware that Crabbe and Goyle had become distracted by a chocolate shop a while back, Draco stepped onto the wooden walkway and pushed open the glass door to Armand's; the tinkling of a bell above the door greeted him.

* * *

"How about this one, Hermione?" Ginny asked, pointing to a dark green dress. They had been in All-Occasion Dresses for over an hour now, trying to find the perfect dress. As far as Ginny knew, this was the only store in Hogsmede that had dresses that would work for a masquerade ball. She also figured that at least half the girls in Hogwarts were now in this store shopping for dresses. Though the store was large and packed full of dresses, almost every free space was occupied by girls, some Ginny didn't even recognize from school. They'd be lucky to get a dress at all if they didn't hurry up.

Hermione put down the black dress she had been fingering and came over to Ginny, looking at the forest-green dress. "I don't know," the Head Girl said. "I don't really like the green." She turned the dress around and her eyes widened. "Two-hundred galleons? They must be crazy," she muttered, putting the dress back. Ginny sighed and looked around. Most of the dresses in the store were at least seventy-five galleons, and those were the ones on sale. Even the cheap ones were too expensive for Ginny.

"Maybe going to the ball isn't such a good idea," Ginny said softly. Hermione turned back to her, a concerned look on her face.

"Ginny Weasley, why not?" she asked, astonished. "I thought you liked Seamus."

"I do," Ginny said. "Don't get me wrong; I like him. But…I – oh come on, Hermione, look at the prices of these dresses. I can't afford anything like this." She put her hand on a dress rack and looked at the floor. "I just came in here to help you pick out a dress," she mumbled. "I can't shop here…I don't have enough money."

"Oh, Ginny," Hermione said, "don't worry about the money. I can help you pay for it, and if not me, then I'm sure Harry wouldn't mind –"

"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed. "I'd never ask Harry for money. I'd rather go to the ball naked…" she shook her head, trying to imagine how the conversation of her asking Harry for money would go. She didn't like the image of it in her mind. "I appreciate the offer, Hermione, I really do," Ginny said. "But you know I could never accept it."

Hermione looked like she wanted to say more on the subject but merely nodded her head. "Besides," Ginny added, "you can't go spending money on me." She walked past Hermione to possibly the one rack of dresses they hadn't yet looked over and picked out a butter-yellow dress, holding it up in front of Hermione. "You have to look extra special for your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend, Ginny," Hermione said, though she couldn't hide a smile. She looked at the dress carefully before putting it back. "I don't like that color either," Hermione said.

"Hermione, you're a witch, you can just change the color," Ginny said.

"Well I don't like the style then," Hermione grinned, moving on. Ginny shook her head, still unused to seeing this girly side of Hermione. "Let's try the other side of the store, shall we?"

Braving the crowd of desperate girls all trying to find the perfect dress, Ginny and Hermione fought their way to the back of the store where there were fewer people. The salesladies were going crazy, frantically running back and forth between girls, rushing dresses here and there, and ringing up girls who had managed to find a dress to buy. Ginny and Hermione casually looked at different dresses on the racks. There were dresses of every style, color, size, and material. There was gold, black, red, blue, purple, pink, white, green; there were low necks, high necks, ruffles, lace, full skirts, strapless; there were patterned, plain, striped, polka-dotted, barely there, and covering everything-type dresses. Ginny's mind spun with all the possibilities and options.

"Ginny, can – can I ask you something?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Sure," Ginny absentmindedly said, peering at the dresses.

"Where were you last week?" Hermione asked, now looking intently at Ginny. Ginny's eyes snapped up and locked with Hermione's.

"Last week?" Ginny asked, now nervous herself. "Last week I was here at Hogwarts, remember Hermione? I do go to school here."

"Not like that," Hermione said. "When you came in really late from the library that one night last week and I was mad at the boys, where were you, really?"

Ginny turned and looked at the dresses, trying to think of a suitable answer. "I was at the library," she replied quietly, her back still turned towards Hermione.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked. "Because, well…forget it." Hermione sighed, turning around to look at dresses again.

Breaking the awkward silence, Ginny walked around to face Hermione. "Because what?" What were you going to say?" Though Ginny wasn't quite sure she wanted to know, she still asked.

"Well," Hermione hesitated, "well you remember back in your first year…what happened then…with the Chamber of Secrets. And then there's all these disappearances now and I know that you couldn't have been in the library that night because of the new lock spell placed on it and I just don't want you to get hurt again, Ginny," Hermione finished quickly, staring anxiously into her friend's eyes.

Ginny, torn between hurt at Hermione's accusation and nervous at being caught, stared back. "How can you say something like that, Hermione?" she asked quietly. "You know I'd never do anything like this."

"I know you wouldn't, Ginny," Hermione said, a pleading note in her voice, "but I don't want the same thing to happen as the Chamber of Secrets. I don't want you to…" she lowered her voice as the others around them continued their shopping, "be used like that again."

Ginny sighed. "I know you didn't mean anything by asking," Ginny said, "but I can't tell you where I was." Hermione frowned at her questioningly and Ginny hurried on. "Believe when I say that nothing is wrong and that I'm fine, but I can't tell you right now."

"Will you eventually tell me?" Hermione asked, still doubtful. "Or if it gets bad, you'll tell me, right?"

"Definitely," Ginny said, relieved that she didn't have to answer Hermione's initial question. "Really, Hermione, don't worry about it. Everything will be alright; trust me." After a moment, Hermione nodded.

"You know I trust you," Hermione said, grinning. "You're just lucky I didn't happen to ask you when you were still wearing that charmed bracelet that Malfoy gave you; then you would have had to answer me whether you wanted to or not."

Ginny shuddered as she thought of how horribly wrong that could go. She had almost forgotten about the bracelet; the memory of it brought back a bittersweet feeling. The starry bracelet had truly been beautiful, but the reason it had been given to her was anything but. She was brought back to her senses by a gasp from Hermione.

"Look at this one, Ginny," Hermione said, reaching for a crimson colored dress. She pulled it off the rack and held it before her, a smile breaking out. Ginny peered over Hermione's shoulders at the dress. The bodice was a deep red with tiny pink flowers on it. Since the flowers were a lighter shade than the red, they weren't immediately noticeable. What was noticeable, however, was the way that they glittered when the light shone on them. The neckline swooped in a low V while thin straps supported the dress off of a padded hanger. Just under the bodice, several layers of red tulle hung down to the floor, covering a matching underskirt. Around the waist was a pink silk sash that hung down the left side of the dress.

Hermione's eyes traveled up and down the dress, an expression of longing in them.

"Is that the dress?" Ginny asked quietly.

"This is the dress," Hermione replied.

* * *

Draco satisfactorily walked out of Armand's an hour later with a package tucked under one arm. To his luck, John Armand had been in the store that day and had personally greeted him. Though his father was friends with Armand, the latter wasn't a Death Eater. The owner of the store had let Draco into his office and had offered him a fire whiskey, which Draco had accepted. To his even greater pleasure, Armand had presented an array of masquerade masks once the subject of why Draco was buying a robe came up. When Draco had questioned the middle-aged man why he had masks in his office, he had shrugged it off by saying that they were left-over from another occasion. He had given Draco the pick of the lot, saying he could have it free of charge, as a favor for his father. Draco had selected a simple black mask with red trim, satisfied that the mask would match his robe without alteration. The less he had to trifle with things of fashion, the better.

He walked down the pathway, wondering what had become of Crabbe and Goyle. They were no doubt at some restaurant or pub right about now stuffing their faces. Either that or they were lost. The thought of Crabbe and Goyle lost in Hogsmede was slightly humorous, but that made Draco remember the time he and Ginny had gotten lost in the snowstorm. That was definitely not something he wanted a repeat of.

_What now?_ Draco thought. He didn't have anything else he necessarily _needed_ to buy, but it was always fun spending money; it reminded others just who exactly he was, someone they never could be, someone they could only dream of.

Draco, ignoring the happy faces of those across the street and the frightened ones of those moving away from him, continued walking by the many shops. He could get something to eat; The Three Broomsticks was always good. _Everyone will be there,_ though, he thought. Even when Christmas wasn't looming before them, that pub was packed to the brim with people. The only other pub in Hogsmede was the Hog's Head, and that wasn't anywhere Draco wanted to go. It wasn't that he was afraid of that place; who in their right mind would dare harm Draco Malfoy, the son of Voldemort's right-hand man? No, the only reason he wanted to avoid that place was because it was too dirty for his liking. Draco Malfoy could do better than that.

Draco looked up at the sky and noticed that it was starting to snow lightly, the white flakes falling freely from the grey sky. There was still sufficient snow on the ground from when it had snowed last, which had been only days ago. If the snow kept falling regularly as it had been, there'd be snow even at Malfoy Manor, which was farther south than Hogwarts. The ball was in one week and already the school had been preparing for it. With Christmas just three days after the ball, Draco had little time to prepare for the upcoming meeting with Voldemort. A weight seemed to drop in Draco's stomach at the thought of having to meet the Dark Lord. What was he going to do? He was sure that Voldemort wasn't spending Christmas dinner with them to spread holiday cheer and go caroling. The thought of Voldemort caroling was amusing, but even that wasn't enough to lighten Draco's mood, because he knew the real reason for Voldemort's visiting them.

Voldemort was visiting them to see if Draco was prepared to become a Death Eater upon graduation.

Draco frowned. What point was there to life if right after school he was to become something evil, something every wizard feared? What point was there to even being born? He thought of his mother then. She must've thought these things so many times in the seventeen years she had been a prisoner in her own mind, where the only solace had been in hoping that one day her son would save her. What she must've gone through was mind-boggling to even imagine.

The one thing Narcissa Malfoy wanted was for her son to stand up to Voldemort and Lucius, to become something more than they were. That's what she thought life was. _I can give her that, at least, _Draco thought. _I can show her what life is. I can make up for her seventeen years of silence by being as strong as I can be._

_I can be strong for the both of us._

Walking down the streets of Hogsmede, his feet crunching in the snow, Draco tried to push aside the thought he was doomed before he even began.

* * *

Ginny stood outside All-Occasion Dresses, watching Hermione walk down the street towards The Three Broomsticks. Hermione turned once and looked back at Ginny, but Ginny just smiled at her and waved her hand. Hermione waved slowly and continued walking, the box containing her dress clutched in her hands. Ginny smiled at the memory of how Hermione had simply glowed when she purchased the red and pink dress. Lucky for Hermione that the dress had been on sale; no wonder it was in the back. One thing that Ginny wondered was why a dress of that beauty was on sale, but no matter. Hermione was happy. The only thing the girl needed now was a mask, which they had been unable to find.

Now the thing for Ginny to do was find a dress for herself. Hermione had insisted upon accompanying Ginny and helping her find a dress, but Ginny refused. She also had Christmas gifts to buy, and nobody could help her with those.

Ginny bit her lip and wondered where she should go next. There were so many things she needed to buy; she didn't know if she had enough money. She usually saved whatever money she came across for Christmas, but this year there were extra things to buy. Christmas gifts should be the first thing she bought, but Ginny desperately wanted to find a dress. With so many girls out to get one, she'd need to move fast if she was to find a decent one.

Ginny took off down the street, still wondering exactly where she was going. The only known dress store in Hogsmede was the one she had just come from. _But there just has to be somewhere else, _thought Ginny. She'd already looked over every dress in All-Occasion Dresses; there was nothing she could afford there.

The sky, Ginny noticed, had started leaking tiny flakes of snow. "Let's just hope this doesn't end up like last time," she mumbled under her breath, pulling her cloak tighter around her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of pink and she halted, turning to her left.

In one of the shop windows, sticking up from behind a sparkly gold scarf, was a pink feather. The pink ostrich feather was the same shade as the sash that went on Hermione's dress.

Slightly curious, Ginny turned back and entered through the rough wooden door that didn't seem to quite fit the doorway. A strong odor of cinnamon immediately hit Ginny's nose, making her head spin. Since the room was dimly lit – only a few candles on various tables were lit – Ginny's eyes took a while to adjust. When they did, however, she turned back to the window where she had seen the pink feather. Various objects were randomly placed in the display, stone carvings, decorative boxes, clothes, jewelry, and a few other objects that Ginny couldn't quite name; all she knew was that they were glittery and most likely breakable. Her eyes were drawn to what she now saw was a mask stuffed behind a gold scarf, which was draped over a tiny heart-shaped box. Ginny pulled the scarf away and grabbed the delicate mask in her hands.

The mask was ivory in color with dark pink glitter swirling around the eye-holes. On the right side of the mask, a light pink ostrich plume was fastened, among several smaller, darker feathers. What caught Ginny's eye, however, was the large rose tucked within the feathers. The beautiful shades of pink on the flower blended beautifully with the ivory of the mask. Soft pink ribbons hung gently from the back of the mask, awaiting use.

_Hermione will love this,_ thought Ginny. She turned the mask over to see if it had a price, but saw none.

"It's lovely, isn't it?" came a voice from behind Ginny. The girl whirled about, her heart pounding. She sighed when she saw a middle-aged woman barely taller than Ginny standing there.

"Yes, it is," Ginny replied. The lady smiled back at her, revealing crooked, yet white, teeth. Ginny eyed the ostentatious outfit that the woman wore. A blood-red shirt covered her petite form, falling slightly off the shoulders. A dark purple skirt was tied firmly around her waist; the many layers of the skirt hung down to her black, high-heeled boots. Strands of black hair framed her face; the rest of the hair was hidden behind a white, ruby-encrusted bandana. Large golden hoops hung from her ears; Ginny was surprised that her ears hadn't already torn from the weight of the hoops. She reminded Ginny of the gypsies she used to read stories of when she was little.

"Forgive me," the woman smiled. "My name is Miss Reina." She held out a hand for Ginny to shake and the young girl noticed that several rings of various shapes, sizes, and colors rested on her fingers.

Ginny took the jewel-laden hand and replied, "My name is Ginny."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ginny," Reina replied. "I see you've found one of our masks."

"Yes," said Ginny, looking back at the mask in her hands. "How much is it?"

Miss Reina seemed to consider the mask for a moment before answering, "Two galleons, I think."

"That's all?" Ginny asked, her eyes widening. "Isn't that a little…cheap?"

"Well would you rather pay more?" Reina asked, her eyebrow lifting.

"No," Ginny hastily added. "I just thought that something this beautiful would cost a fortune." Reina nodded and motioned for the mask, which Ginny handed to her.

"It comes from Italy, you know," said Reina. "One of our patrons who was unable to sell it himself brought it to me. When it sold he was to get part of the profit. However, he died a few years ago and since then the mask has sat in that window collecting dust, waiting for someone to purchase it," Reina trailed off. Ginny noticed that the lady spoke with a strong American accent; rarely anybody in England did.

"Excuse me, but you're not from around here, are you?" Ginny asked, trying not to appear too nosy.

"No," Reina smiled faintly. "I moved here from America shortly after I started going to Rosings, one of the school for witches and wizards in America. I've lived here since then."

"So you're a witch?" Ginny asked, her curiosity perking.

"Oh dear, no," laughed Reina. "Don't flatter me, sugar." She was quiet for a moment as she eyed Ginny as if contemplating whether she should say anything else. She continued though. "My parents were pureblood wizards so naturally they were proud when I got my acceptance letter from Rosings, but after four months into my first year, I still hadn't shown any signs of magic," Reina trailed off sadly, and Ginny felt a burst of pity for the woman. She could tell where this story was going. "My parents tried to ignore my lack of magical abilities, blaming the school for…what was it they said…" Reina wrinkled her brow, trying to remember. "Ah, they said that the school was incapable of properly teaching a young witch with such potential such as me in the art of witchcraft and that the school was not worthy of their patronage."

Ginny stared at Miss Reina, who then gave another laugh at the girl's expression. "That's exactly what I thought, chicky," Reina chuckled, sending the hoop earrings into a flutter. "But, my parents refused to accept anything other than my being a witch, so they moved me and my brother here to England and enrolled us immediately in Hogwarts. Well, needless to say, I didn't do much better here than there. I hadn't been back in school two months before they released me. The school, that is. My parents were devastated."

"So, you were – you are – a…" Ginny stumbled, not wanting to seem rude.

"A squib, yes," Reina nodded. "You don't have to feel sorry, honey," Reina smiled, starting towards the back of the store. "The life of a witch never quite suited me, I think. I'm quite happy with my life."

"So then you stayed here?" Ginny asked, following Miss Reina. "Why didn't you go back to America?" They passed a table filled with iron-wrought statues of various animals, some that Ginny had never heard of before. The light grew dimmer as they went to the back of the store, no doubt towards the register.

"Well," Reina considered the question. "Actually, I don't know why we stayed," she shrugged. "My parents must've liked England better, I suppose. When I was eighteen I opened this store and I've been working here for thirty years now."

"Wow," Ginny replied. "So your parents must've gotten over your being a squib then, right?"

Miss Reina paused for a moment and turned her head slightly to the side, as if evaluating how she should answer. "Not exactly," she said in a wry voice laced with sadness before starting forwards again. Ginny kept quiet, wondering if she had asked one too many questions.

"But enough of my boring story," Miss Reina stated, smiling again. "So what are you going to do with this mask?"

"Oh, well it's not for me," Ginny replied, glad that the woman wasn't mad at her. "It's for a friend." When they reached the back of the store, they stopped at an old wooden desk that had red candles lit all over it. An ink bottle and several brightly-colored quills were laying in one corner atop a stack of white stationary with pink roses faintly applied to the background.

"Well who's it for then?" Reina asked, looking at Ginny.

"It's for a friend," Ginny replied, nodding. "Hogwarts is having a masquerade ball in one week, for Christmas, and she needed a dress. We just found a gorgeous dress but not a mask. When I was walking past your store I saw the mask in the window and stopped in."

"I see," Reina said, sitting at the chair behind her desk. "And where is your friend?"

"We split up after buying the dress," Ginny said. "I had some other shopping to do." Ginny reached into her robe pocket and pulled out two gold galleons, handing them to Reina, who promptly took them with a nod of her head.

"Thank you, sugar," she smiled. Ginny smiled back. Miss Reina seemed like a pleasant woman. "Now what about you?" she asked.

"Me?" Ginny replied. "What _about_ me?"

"Well what kind of dress did _you_ get?" The owner of the shop asked.

Ginny blushed, looking away. How to reply? "Well, I don't have one yet," she said. "I couldn't find one."

"You couldn't find a dress?" Reina asked, genuinely surprised. "Have you tried All-Occasion Dresses just down the road? They have all sorts of dresses there; I'm sure you could find one."

"We've been there," Ginny mumbled, shifting her feet. "That's where we found my friend, Hermione's, dress."

"Well if you've been there then surely you would've – oh! Oh, I see…" Miss Reina trailed off, a sympathetic look on her face. "Well it's alright, honey," she said. "Don't fret."

"What?" Ginny asked nervously. "What's alright?"

"Not being able to afford anything in All-Occasion's," Reina replied. "I've never been a big shopper there myself. All those dresses are too frilly and silly for me," she said, waving her hand through the air. "I prefer my dresses, when I wear them, to be much simpler than those."

Ginny stared open-mouthed at the woman before her. "But – but how did you know -"

"I know lots of things," Miss Reina smiled. "And believe me, being poor has never hindered my lifestyle. I've found that those who prefer rich things have never been much more than that. Material possessions and trifling with things they should just stay out of…" she trailed off again, looking at her desk. Through her shock, Ginny thought she saw a flash of anger pass over Reina's face; it was replaced by the familiar peaceful look though. "Those who think they can save the world are usually the ones that get beaten by it."

Ginny merely nodded dumbly, still trying to piece together everything that had happened. She had walked into a store expecting to buy a mask for Hermione and instead found a woman who was…

"Are you psychic?" Ginny asked abruptly. Reina closed her eyes for a minute before nodding her head slowly. Ginny took a sharp breath, trying to figure out what to think. _Is she really psychic? _Ginny wondered. Immediately her thoughts jumped to Sybill Trelawney. _She's more _crazy_ than psychic,_ thought Ginny.

Miss Reina chuckled slightly. "I can assure you that Sybill Trelawney is psychic, though barely," she said. Ginny stared again, wondering about this peculiar lady. "I can sometimes read minds, but only if I wish to. I merely wanted to know what your reaction to my being psychic was," Reina said softly.

Ginny was silent for a moment. Then she opened her mouth and asked incredulously, "So Trelawney really _is_ psychic?" Reina laughed out loud and Ginny grinned.

"She's had her fair share psychic moments in life," Reina admitted, "but all that astrology and tea-cup stuff is just talk, utter nonsense."

"I've never been partial to her myself," added Ginny. "Neither has my brother. Did you go to school with her?"

Miss Reina nodded, eyeing Ginny. "We were in the same year during my time at Hogwarts; I couldn't stand her." Reina looked as if she had just spotted a particularly nasty bug. "Always going on and on about how her great-great-grandmother was a famous Seer and that she had inherited 'the gift', as she liked to call it. Honestly, sometimes I just felt like hitting that silly twit, would've knocked some sense into her, maybe," she paused thoughtfully. "But then again, maybe it wouldn't have. Some people never change, no matter how much time they're given.

Ginny nodded slightly. "So, you know what's going to happen, then?" she asked, unsure if she should. "I mean to say, you know the future?"

"A bit," Reina sighed. "People sometimes say knowing the future is either a blessing or a curse. Though I hate to be pessimistic, I'm inclined to believe that it's a curse," she smiled sadly. "I often wonder why God chose this for me, but then who am I to question it?"

"God?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrow, disbelievingly. "You really think any of this has to do with God?"

"And you think it doesn't?" Reina asked, a smile playing on her lips. "What would this world be if it weren't for God's plan for us? There must be something more than just random chance that put us here on earth. Where would the world be today if all man thought was that he could change his own destiny when really he's riding shotgun and God has the wheel?"

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know," was the only reply she had. "It seems to me that if God really existed, he wouldn't let any of this bad stuff happen to us. Seems to me like God, if he exists, is the cruel kid with a magnifying glass and we're the ants."

"Well," Reina sighed, "the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh. Some ants are probably best left out of anthill if all they want to do is eat the other ants, eh?" She sighed again. "But that's enough preaching from me, today. I'm not used to this stuff." She reached up to her bandana and felt to make sure it was still in place. Ginny cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"But you really can see into the future?" Ginny asked abruptly, almost desperately. When she received a questioning glance from Miss Reina, she stopped. The disappearances at Hogwarts still on her mind. If she could just figure out who had taken those kids, everything would work out. In the back of her mind, Ginny knew that it wasn't that simple, but part of her wanted to believe it was. She wondered how to phrase the question though, asking if Reina could tell her who took them. Before she got a chance, though, Reina spoke again.

"Honey, I can't see everything," she said sympathetically. "Only certain things are shown to me. It's like…" she trailed off, a bit of frustration showing on her face as she tried to figure out how to say it. "It's like...the Floo network. While in transit, other destinations are visible, but barely. They rush past in a blur and nothing clear is perceptible. But occasionally," she went on, looking Ginny straight in the eye, "something so dramatic, terrifying, humorous, or special flies by that it sticks in your mind. Those are the impressions that last, and that's the best that I can describe where and how I get my visions."

"Oh," said Ginny, trying to hide her disappointment. She picked up the mask from the desk, figuring it was her cue to leave. "Well, thank you, for the mask, and…for sharing your story with me." She turned and was about to walk towards the door when Miss Reina called out.

"Wait, Ginny," she said. Ginny turned around and looked at the brightly-colored woman, looking at her with slight expectancy in her eyes.

"You still need a dress, right?" she asked, the familiar playfulness returning to her demeanor. When Ginny nodded, Reina motioned with her finger. "Follow me," she said.

Ginny returned to the desk and placed Hermione's mask on it, her own curiosity peaked. She followed Miss Reina to the left side of the store and into the corner, where an iron set of steps spiraled straight up through an opening in the brown ceiling. Ginny watched Reina's purple skirt swish as she hurried up, her boots clanking against the stairs.

When the two women emerged through the hole in the ceiling, Ginny found herself in a pleasant room that smelled faintly of vanilla. There was a small bed in the far corner with a shiny gold comforter over it; a mostly-empty nightstand stood next to the bed. On the other wall were stacked several trunks and boxes that looked as if they had spent the majority of their time in the bottom of the ocean, so rusted were they. Straight across from Ginny was a half-moon window that overlooked Hogsmede below. A gold curtain was hung over the window, matching the bed. To her left, Ginny saw a birdcage hanging from the ceiling with a snow-white owl much like Hedwig sleeping inside. Ginny actually did a double-take to see if the owl _was_ Hedwig, but it wasn't.

"That's a beautiful owl," Ginny said, pointing to the bird.

"Her name's Ivy, and she's been my constant companion for about eleven years now," Reina said, eyeing her owl. Then she stepped over to the wall containing the many chests and started shoving them aside.

"Give me a hand there, girly," Reina huffed, struggling to pull one rusted trunk off of another. Ginny hurried to her side and grabbed the rough handle on one side of the trunk and pushed. With a loud clunk, the chest landed on the wooden floor and Reina let out her breath as she turned to the chest that had been under it. Ginny watched the woman bend down on her knees and pull the lighter trunk towards her. With a creak, she lifted the top, sending clusters of dust spiraling through the air. With bated breath, Ginny watched as Reina gently pulled out folds and folds of light green tissue paper. When the green was gone, Ginny's eye caught on a piece of dark blue fabric.

Miss Reina, with trembling hands, lifted the blue fabric out of the trunk, and stood as she did so. Looking down in wonder, she held up against herself a midnight blue silk dress. Ginny's breath caught in her throat as she took in the beauty of the dress. Straps thinner even than Hermione's dress were attached to the bodice, which dipped ever so slightly near the chest. The silk hung limply all the way to the floor, not flaring out as Hermione's dress had. From the hem of the dress rose tiny, almost indecipherable, trails of shimmering gold ivy, coming to a rest about two feet from the bottom of the dress.

Reina took one look at the tiny "O" Ginny's mouth was making and smiled warmly. Looking back down at the dress held up to herself, she affectionally smoothed the front of it.

"This was the dress I wore to my brother's wedding a little over thirty years ago," she said, "when I was just seventeen." Reina laughed quietly. "Back then the dress fit better than it does now. Parts of me may have aged well, but others haven't," she picked at her middle for emphasis. A smile replaced Ginny's surprised look.

"You're not fat," she said firmly, and the oddity of her saying something like that to a woman who that morning had only been a stranger hit her and she fought back a peal of laughter. "Blimely, if I age as well as _you_ have, I'll be content."

"Why thank you, darling," Miss Reina said, nodding at the younger girl. "But I'm afraid that I no longer have a use for this dress, and I sure would hate to see something this fine go to waste."

"Oh no," Ginny said, her eyes widening as she backed away. "I can't accept that." She shook her head as if to make her point.

"Yes you will," Reina said knowingly. "You can't go to the ball dressed in any ordinary robe. This dress is perfect, and you look to be about the same size I was then."

Ginny looked at the dress longingly, wishing that she could accept it. Deep down she wanted to, but her pride wouldn't allow it. Years of trying to hide the fact that she was poor and years of trying not to let people pay for her belongings and years of wanting the little things she knew she could never afford blocked any chance of her accepting that dress. But oh, how she wanted it.

Miss Reina saw the longing in her eyes and understood where Ginny's obstinacy came from. "Look, Ginny," she continued gently, "if I had a cat or a dog or some other pet that I just couldn't keep, and it would die if nobody took it, you'd take it, wouldn't you? You couldn't just let that animal die." Ginny nodded, so Reina continued. "Well, think of this dress as that animal. There's no way this dress will ever fit on me again, and I have nobody else to give it to. You have to take it, otherwise…the dress will die, figuratively speaking."

Ginny bit her lip, her eyes never leaving the dress. _I can't,_ she thought. _I just can't…_

"I had always planned on saving this dress for a daughter to wear one day," Reina said, "but…I never had one." Ginny looked up then and saw the tears shimmering in Reina's eyes. "Please, Ginny," she said, gazing at Ginny. "This dress is a masterpiece; it was made to be seen, not trapped in a box for all eternity."

"But -" began Ginny.

"No 'buts' about it," Reina said firmly. "You're taking it."

Ginny sighed and looked at the beautiful dress in Reina's hands. In her heart, she knew she was giving in, and she both hated and loved herself for it. "Alright," Ginny said, and she couldn't stop the smile from gracing her face, "but I'm paying for it."

Again, Reina denied her. "You'll take it without paying me one Knut. That's final. Don't fight me, Ginny," she grinned. "I'll just win in the end."

"But I can't take it for _free,"_ Ginny said almost desperately. "I just _can't_…"

"But nonsense," Reina said. "What good would it do me if I _charged_ you money? You're the one doing me a favor by taking the dress. You'll ease a lady's mind by taking this dress. I'd like to know it's going to a girl who really needs it. And you, Ginny, need it."

_I also _want_ it_, thought Ginny. "Well…" she hesitated.

"Good!" Reina cheered happily. "It's settled then. And that's not all that comes with the dress," she stated, carefully laying the dress on her bed. Ginny watched wondrously as Reina bent back towards the chest again and dug around through some more of the green tissue paper.

"I know they're in here somewhere," Reina muttered, still fishing around. "Aha! Here they are." She pulled out two long white gloves. Gold ivy like the gold on the dress trailed up the arm of each glove lovingly, caressing the snow white of the glove. Reina held them out to Ginny. "Try them on, try them on," she exclaimed giddily.

Smiling, Ginny removed her robe and rolled the sleeves of her shirt up. She gasped quietly when she slipped on the soft gloves; she had expected them to be too big or too small but they fit perfectly, almost as if they had been made for her. They ended just below the bend of her elbow.

"See? What did I tell you, sugar," Reina said happily. "This will work perfectly." Ginny had similar sentiments.

"Are you sure about -" Ginny started.

"Positive," Reina said resolutely. "And you said this was a masquerade ball, correct?" Ginny nodded. "Good," Reina said. "Follow me. Oh, and bring the dress."

Ginny carefully pulled the delicate gloves off of her fingers and replaced her robe. Then she went to the bed and for the first time held the dress that was now, unbelievably, hers.

"Come on, girly!" shouted Reina from downstairs. Ginny had been so enamored by the dress that she hadn't noticed the woman leave the room. She folded the dress over one arm and placed the gloves over it and then took one last look around the room. Ivy was still asleep in her cage, oblivious to what had just happened in her room.

Aware that she would probably never see this room again, Ginny descended the spiral stairs back to the shop below, breathing in the familiar cinnamon scent. Miss Reina was now frantically moving about the store, opening various drawers only to shut them moments later when she couldn't find what she was looking for. She tore over to a cabinet hanging on the wall and ripped open the door. A few items were flung carelessly aside as Reina searched for something. She cursed when she didn't find it and slammed the door shut. She stood for a moment, hands on hips, a look of concentration on her face. Suddenly, a look of remembrance popped onto her face and she rushed past Ginny to a large chest of drawers and stood on her tip-toes to reach the top drawer. Reina felt around with her hand for a moment, unable to see into the drawer; the tip of her tongue was poking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration. Then triumph cascaded over her face and she leaned back, holding in her hand a mask.

Ginny, her mind still reeling with the day's turn of events, watched surreally as Reina approached her, calm once again. "No outfit for a masquerade ball would be complete without a mask," she said. "And I just happen to have one that matches your outfit perfectly." When she reached Ginny, Reina held out the mask. Struggling not to drop everything she was already holding, Ginny grabbed the mask. The pure white mask was slimmer than Hermione's but in the same basic shape. Although much simpler than Hermione's, Ginny thought she liked it even better. Where Hermione's had flowers and feathers, Ginny's had no ornament other than gold glitter – in the same gold ivy pattern as the dress and gloves – fashionably surrounding one of the eyes of the mask. Two white ribbons were attached to the mask to be used to tie around the wearer's head.

"Was this made to go with the dress?" Ginny asked.

Reina shook her head. "No, but ever since that mask was brought in, I've always thought it would go with it perfectly."

"It does," Ginny agreed, holding the mask to the dress and gloves. "It's perfect."

"Yes," Reina said, smiling. "It's perfect."

The woman stepped away back towards her desk where Hermione's mask was waiting patiently. Still eyeing Ginny, who was admiring her new possessions, she reached behind her desk and grabbed some bags and a box. She carefully placed Hermione's mask in the bag and motioned for Ginny to come over to her.

Ginny, still in awe of both this woman's generosity and the beauty of the mask, handed the latter to Miss Reina. The mask was then placed with Hermione's in the dark red bag. Reina pulled the lid of the box off and gently folded the dress and placed it in the box. Atop the dress were laid the gloves. Reina took one last long, loving look at the dress and gloves that had been so dear to her and then, with a resolute sigh, placed several sheets of white tissue paper over the items.

"You said you wore that to your brother's wedding?" Ginny asked, trying to strike up another conversation.

"Yes," Reina said. She paused for a moment, as if reliving something. Then she placed the lid back on the box and taped it shut.

"Where's your brother now?" Ginny asked. "Is he still in England, or did he move back to America?"

"He's dead," said Reina. Her voice sounded as if the words were foreign to her and a pained look crossed her face.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said, mentally slapping herself for asking in the first place. _Way to ruin a brilliant day, Ginny,_ she told herself.

"Don't be," Reina replied. "That was years ago." She handed the box and bag to Ginny, who took them, still guilty that she had caused Miss Reina pain. "You enjoy these things, okay?" she said, smiling sadly.

"I'll take good care of them," Ginny said, swallowing the lump in her throat. Why did she suddenly feel like she was saying goodbye forever to a good friend?

"I know you will, sugar," Reina said. "Now you get out of here," she said, playfully shoving Ginny towards the door. "You've been here nearly an hour already. Your friends are bound to be setting out a search party soon."

"An hour?" Ginny asked, truly surprised. "I didn't realize how much time had gone by."

"Well, it flies, you see," Reina said smiling. "Time, that is. If you're not careful," she snapped her fingers, "It'll pass you right by."

Ginny thought for a moment and then nodded. "I suppose it does," she said. She walked past the many tables and stands, heading for the door. She turned around when she reached the door and looked at Reina. "I can't thank you enough for all of this," she said, lifting her packages up for reference. "I – I mean – it was…just…thanks," she grinned.

Miss Reina leaned back against her desk and waved at her. "You come back and see me sometime, alright, girly?"

"Definitely," Ginny nodded. She smiled one last time at Reina and opened the door. A blast of arctic air greeted her and flurries of snow fluttered in her face. As the door softly closed behind her, Ginny turned and looked once more at the store. The wind blew strands of hair into her face but Ginny ignored them.

After a moment she pulled her gaze away and started slowly down the snow-covered street.

* * *

Almost an hour later, Ginny was approaching The Three Broomsticks, even more packages in her arms. She was now very cold from running all over Hogsmede to find the gifts she wanted for her friends, but she had in the end found them. Her cheeks tinged pink from cold, she balanced the bags and boxes in her arms and hurried down the street; the snow was still falling steadily though gently. No doubt everybody else was wondering where she was.

_Oh well,_ thought Ginny. _The only thing I need to worry about now is keeping them from peeking in these bags._ Then a thought struck Ginny. She set her items down on the ground and pulled out her wand. With a few simple words, she shrank all her possessions to the size of a few galleons. Satisfied, Ginny placed the shrunken objects into her pockets and continued on merrily.

She was almost to The Three Broomsticks when she saw figures in the distance approaching her.

"There you are, Ginny!" Ron exclaimed. "We were just looking for you. Where have you been? Do you know how long you've been gone?"

"Oh Ron," Ginny said, watching her brother, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ewan, Seamus, and Dean around them. "Step out of big-brother mode for a minute; I'm fine. I just had a lot of stuff to get."

"A lot of stuff?" Hermione asked. "Where is it?"

"In here," Ginny patted her pocket. "I shrunk it."

"Ok, now that we found her, come on," said Dean, starting down another street. "We have to get there before everyone else does."

Ginny followed questioningly as everybody excitedly followed after Dean.

"It's a raffle, Dean," said Harry. "It doesn't matter when you get there to submit yourself as long as you do it before it's over."

"Yeah, well, you can never be too sure," Dean shrugged.

"Where are we going, guys?" Ginny asked.

"To Quidditch Supply Plus," Seamus said from Ginny's left. "They're having a drawing for a Nimbus 2001," he explained. "People have been going by all day submitting their names."

"They're giving away a _free_ Nimbus 2001?" Ginny asked incredulously, and everybody nodded. She suddenly remembered the broom she had just lost, and hope filled her. She had been lucky so far today; perhaps she would be again.

"What's with all the free stuff today," she uttered under her breath.

"What's that?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing," Ginny said. She didn't know why, but she didn't want anybody to know about how her dress just yet. She'd tell Hermione about it that night when they were alone.

The sounds of a large crowd were soon heard and Ginny saw throngs of people clustered around the only Quidditch store in Hogsmede, Quidditch Supply Plus. Many kids _and _adults were there, filling out small slips of paper with the necessary information.

"We've already submitted our names," Ron said, pointing to himself, Seamus, and Dean. Ginny could understand why Harry didn't enter the contest; he already had a great broom. Hermione had told her that Ewan didn't play Quidditch, and Hermione rarely ever got on a broom, so she knew why they hadn't.

"But you're the one who really needs the broom, Ginny," Seamus said. "So go ahead; we'll wait here."

Grinning, Ginny pushed herself through the people hovering about the shop until she saw a small table filled with a large metal box with a tiny opening at the top. Several quills and bottles of ink were scattered atop forms. Ginny picked one up and glanced at it. All it asked for was name, age, and residence. She wrote, in the respective blanks, _Ginny Weasley, 16, _and_ Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

Satisfied, she folded the parchment in half twice and slipped it in the box. Aware of how crowded the store was, she elbowed her way towards the entrance. As she was nearing the open door, she saw a familiar blonde head bobbing through the crowd. Ginny stopped walking and watched Draco amble through the crowd; his eyes had yet to notice Ginny. That soon changed though, when he was mere steps away from her. He paused and looked at her, then around them, almost as if he were afraid of anybody seeing them together. It was the first time they had come face to face since a week ago down in the tunnel. Ginny shifted her feet nervously.

"Trying to get a free broom, are we?" Draco finally said, his usual smugness returning to his voice.

"Oh, and I suppose you're just here to spread holiday cheer," Ginny said sarcastically, relieved that they were acting normal.

"Whatever, Weasley," Draco shrugged. "I never pass up an opportunity for something free."

"In other words, you're cheap," Ginny said happily. Draco darkened.

"I never said that and you know it," Draco snarled.

"You implied it," Ginny stated innocently.

Draco turned away. "Whatever," he repeated, glancing at Ginny out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, well, good luck trying to win that broom," Ginny said, feigning concern. "Hundreds of people have already entered and I'm sure lots more will too by the end of the day."

"I can just_ feel_ the optimism radiating off of you," Draco remarked sarcastically. "I'll take my chances," he said, pretending to reassure her. "Don't worry about me."

"I -" Ginny closed her mouth. She had been about to say _I never do_ but that was too cold for her to say to anybody, even Draco Malfoy. Besides, that comment wasn't entirely true. There were times when she _would_ worry about him. For instance, back in the tunnel when Draco had been drowning and there was nothing she could do, Ginny couldn't force back the worry she'd felt for him. Afterwards, she had tried to deny that what she'd felt was worry, but deep down she knew it for what it was. "I – I…" Ginny tried to cover her mistake. "Whatever, Malfoy," she frowned as she pushed past him. She could feel him turn and watch her as she walked away.

In another moment, she was out of the store and surrounded by her friends.

"Did you do it?" Harry asked, and Ginny nodded.

"Good," Ron said. "People have till a few days before Christmas and they announce the winner on the day everybody leaves to go home for Christmas."

"That late?" Ginny asked. That wouldn't give much time for the winner of the broom to claim it. But no matter. It wasn't her broom to dictate when it was given away.

"Well, I don't know about you guys," started Ron, "but all this shopping has made me hungry."

"What shopping?" Hermione snorted. "You didn't_ do_ anything."

Ron stopped patting his stomach as everybody laughed. "Yeah, well, you know, I'm just feeling sympathy hunger," Ron shrugged. "Because you girls have been shopping all morning, so it's only natural that, uh…I _feel_ for you," he finished lamely, which only made everybody laugh harder. Ginny rolled her eyes. Though some things changed over time, she doubted that Ron ever would; she found herself wishing that he wouldn't.

She suddenly thought back to Miss Reina. The lady, now her friend, Ginny supposed, had said that time passed in the blink of an eye. Ginny walked down the street, watching her friends and brother around her enjoying each other's company; and when she thought back to where she had been at the beginning of the year and where she was now, she knew that she couldn't agree more.

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**Please read all my comments!** I tried putting a little DG interaction there at the end, because there wasn't much in here and I know how much ya'll love it. I wrote the end of this tonight while I was watching American Idol (go Taylor!) so that may be why the momentum fizzled out a bit, but hopefully it was good enough.

Alright so in this chapter, I dropped hints and clues all over the place about what's going to happen in the future. That's part of why it took so long to get this chapter out, because I was being careful. I'll congratulate you if you figure any of them out, though I'll never tell you if you're right or wrong.

**BIG REQUEST:** I want to ask you guys a favor. I want to ask you to not be too angry if I decide to change the title of the story. At first I liked the one it has now, but I've thought of a better one. I would like to rename it _This Is Who You Are._ And I promise that my reason for changing it will become crystal clear as the story progresses, probably more toward the end of the story. But I would like it if you'd review and let me know what you think. The main thing keeping me from changing it is I don't want readers to not know I change it and then never find my story again. So if I change it, I'll give a couple warnings in advance about it in the next few chapters to let you know. Please tell me in a review!

Another thing with the dresses and masks (more so the dresses) of Hermione and Ginny. I know I used some words describing them that probably aren't really used in the wizarding world (such as tulle) but there was just no other way for me to describe them. So just go with me, ok? Also, I have pictures of what I based their dresses and masks off of. I already had a basic picture in my mind of what I wanted it all to look like (especially with Ginny) but I still looked on the internet for reference. I'll post a link to those pictures in the chapter that contains the ball. Only thing is, I know won't show links. So, at the bottom of this chapter, I'm going to try a few practice ones to Google to see if it works in different ways. Just me practicing, though, so just ignore them.

I told you I had lots of author notes this time around. Probably since this chapter is longer than any I've ever done before! It's 31 pages on Word and 13,973 words. So you see, I wasn't just sitting around for almost a month. I was actually writing! And I like how the beginning of this chapter turned out, but I don't really like the middle sections. I was worried that this chapter wouldn't turn out well at all, but I'm content with it. Hopefully ya'll are too. Please review and **let me know about the title**!

Lauren

And the practice links to ttp / www. google. com/

http/ hrefhttp/ http/ hrefhttp/ 


	23. Ponderings

Once again, sorry for the long wait. I tried to update faster this time, which is why the chapter is so short. But I got to where I ended this chapter and thought it'd make a good ending, so that's that. I figured I better give ya'll something to read even if it is short. Also, thank you to QueenThayet for pointing out my mistake about the page breaks. I always do those, but I've removed this chapter so many times because I've messed up in editing, so I just forgot to do them again. So I edited the chapter again to make it right. 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

**Chapter 23: Ponderings**

"Ginny, what is it?" Hermione asked breathlessly as the younger girl practically dragged Hermione up the girls' staircase. They had gotten back from dinner only a little while ago and as soon as they had stepped into the common room, Ginny had beelined for the staircase. She dragged a curious Hermione with her.

"You'll see," Ginny replied as the girls entered her room; Ginny locked the door behind her.

"Why does this all have to be a secret?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrow. A grin spread across her face as she sat down on Ginny's bed. "Why can't anyone else see whatever it is that you bought?"

"Well, for starters," Ginny said, fishing tiny objects out of her pocket, "most of what I bought is Christmas presents for you lot, so of course you can't see. Now turn around," Ginny waved her hands at Hermione, who turned away from Ginny. "Secondly," the girl continued, putting the presents she had bought into the trunk at the foot of her bed, "I don't want any of the boys to see the dress I bought."

"You got a dress?" Hermione asked excitedly, starting to turn around to face Ginny.

"Turn around, Hermione!" Ginny practically screamed, slamming the lid of her trunk down. Hermione sighed and turned around to face Ginny's pillow. "Also," Ginny continued, eyeing Hermione suspiciously as if she'd turn around again at any moment, "I don't think _you'd_ want any of the boys to see the wonderful mask I got for you." Ginny saw Hermione's back straighten.

"What?" Hermione asked, obviously fighting not to turn around. "What are you talking about, Ginny?"

"You can turn around now, Hermione," Ginny stated, sitting down on the bed with two packages in her lap. Hermione's eyes looked into Ginny's for a moment before they traveled down to look at the box and bag in the redhead's lap.

"Y – you found me a mask?" Hermione asked quietly. Ginny nodded.

"I do, and you owe me two galleons," Ginny said emphatically. Hermione still looked slightly confused but she remained quiet. "Actually," Ginny continued, "I wasn't specifically looking for a mask for you. It just sort of happened." She paused and looked down thoughtfully.

"You see, I was walking down the street when I saw this pink feather…" Ginny began.

Half an hour later, Ginny had related the story of her meeting Miss Reina, conveniently leaving out a description of both _her_ dress and mask. Hermione sat openmouthed the whole time, drinking in everything Ginny said. "Wow," was all the Head Girl could manage when Ginny concluded her tale.

"Yeah," replied Ginny. "But enough talk, right? I bet you want to see that mask." Ginny reached in one of the bags and pulled out the ivory and pink mask and handed it to Hermione, whose eyes widened as she saw the mask.

"Ginny…this – this is…beautiful," Hermione said breathlessly, her eyes traveling all over the mask. "I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Just pay me my two galleons." Ginny said, playfully holding out her hand. Laughing, Hermione pushed it away. After a brief silence, she set her mask aside and turned back to Ginny.

"Well let's see it," Hermione said. "Your dress, let's see it. You haven't told me what it looks like and I'm dying to know."

"Alright, alright, you slave-driver," Ginny said, pretending to be annoyed. She opened the dark red box and pulled out the tissue paper. Then she set aside the white gloves and gently removed the dress. Hermione sucked in her breath as she saw the blue silk fall around Ginny. Ginny was watching Hermione carefully to see if she liked it.

"It's amazing," Hermione said. "I think you hit a goldmine with Miss Reina and that store."

"That's not all," Ginny said, setting the dress on the bed. She reached over and grabbed the two gloves and held them against the dress. Hermione ran her fingers over the gold ivy on the arms of the gloves, an expression of wonder in her eyes. "And…" Ginny continued, reaching back in to the bag and pulling out her mask, "there's this."

If possible, Hermione's eyes widened even further when she saw the mask. "My goodness, Ginny," she said happily. "Seamus won't be able to keep his hands off you when he sees you in all of this." Ginny laughed nervously and then started putting her new belongings back in their respective bags and boxes.

"Well I owe it all to Miss Reina," she said. "Without her none of this would be possible."

Hermione stood from the bed. "To give you all of this, she must be one special lady."

"Yeah," Ginny said, closing the lid of the box. "She sure is."

* * *

That night as Ginny was readying herself for bed, she couldn't resist peeking at her dress again. As she lifted the soft blue material out of the box and held it against her body wistfully, she heard a tiny clinking sound as something hit the floor. Ginny looked down and saw a silver ring rolling to a stop next to her bedpost.

Frowning, Ginny set the dress aside and bent down to pick up the ring. Ginny held the shiny silver object in her hands and inspected it. The ring was plain silver with no design, etching, or inscription. The girl slipped the ring onto her finger but the ring was too big; the only finger it fit on was her thumb and even then the ring was a little loose.

Ginny stared at the ring that was resting in the palm of her hand; she wondered how it got in the box and how come she hadn't noticed it earlier. The only way it could've gotten in that box was if Miss Reina had put it there since she had been the one to pack the dress in the box.

_But why would she do that?_ Ginny asked herself. She sat back on the bed and looked in confusion at the ring, fingering it. It was possible that the ring had accidentally been put in with the dress, but it wasn't likely.

Ginny shrugged and slowly started putting the dress back in its box. She'd think about what to do about the ring in the morning.

* * *

Draco sat on his bed that night, contemplating the day's events. His new dress robe was already hanging in his wardrobe, ready to be worn. All his other purchases had been placed away neatly. His dorm mates were sound asleep; snores were coming from Crabbe at the moment.

When he had seen Ginny in the Quidditch store, he didn't know whether to be happy or not. On one hand, he was happy that Seamus wasn't with her, but he knew the boy to be just outside with the rest of their group; he had passed them on the way into the store. On the other hand, being happy to see Ginny, even if it lightened his mood only slightly, was surely not a good thing. What would his father say if he found out?

"Hell with father," Draco whispered angrily. The thought of his father, if he even deserved to be called that, was a sore subject these days, though a subject not easily avoided. Lucius Malfoy would be lucky if Draco didn't murder him on sight the next time he saw him.

_No…_Draco thought. If there was to be any hope of saving his mother, Lucius would have to suspect nothing. He would need to think that Draco was planning on becoming a Death Eater and serving Voldemort. He would need to think that Draco suspected nothing.

Draco gritted his teeth. Pretending to obey his father would not be easy…not when Draco felt like cursing him into oblivion. But for his mother, perhaps Draco could do it. He needed a plan though. Somehow he had to get his mother away from Malfoy Manor. But where to take her though? That was one thing troubling Draco most. They had no other family, at least none that would be able to properly shield Narcissa from Lucius and other Death Eaters. He needed somewhere to take her where she'd be safe. The thought of bringing her to Hogwarts had crossed his mind, but Draco didn't think Dumbledore would allow it.

_Where to bring her?_

Draco punched his pillow in frustration. At that moment, a noise from behind him caused Draco to turn around.

Out of the room's only fireplace stepped Lucius Malfoy.

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A/N: So there you go. **Please note that the title of this story will change to This Is Who You Are in a few chapter's time.** Kudos to my 100th reviewer!

Lauren


	24. What Lies Inside

And here we go with a very fast update! Ya'll should love me for that. But I was so excited about this chapter; even I was curious to see what was going to happen. You should know that I was busy writing this chapterin every spare moment I had, and I got about zero real work done because of it. And it's a more normal-length chapter, though still not as long as I like. However, it is much longer than the last chapter. Sorry that one was so short; it's the shortest I've ever posted. So read this one ane enjoy!

Oh, and kudos to QueenThayet for giving me my 100th review! And thank you to ALL of you who have reviewed. I read each one of them and love them all, so thank you for giving me this many. You guys rock!

Dislcaimer: Nothing you see here do I own.

**Chapter 24: What Lies Inside**

As Draco watched his father step out of the fireplace, a cold chill swept over him. The chill wasn't brought on by fear, though.

It was because of anger.

Lucius Malfoy strode quickly across the room, the green flames of the Floo powder dying behind him. His wand was pulled out and, flicking it, Lucius lit the candles on the wall to provide some light; he left the fireplace empty. Draco drew his wand and watched his father warily, waiting for him to do something. Lucius had yet to acknowledge Draco; a fierce look of determination was etched on the man's face.

Blaise Zabini stirred in his bed, his head lifting slightly from the pillow. When he caught sight of Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort's known henchman, in his room, Blaise shot out of his bed and stood against the wall. Though Blaise was doing his best to hide his fear, Draco could plainly see that the boy was afraid.

"Out!" Lucius snarled. "Everybody out!" Crabbe's snores stopped suddenly and the colossal boy fell out of bed; the room shook with the impact. Goyle sat up lazily and looked around. Clearly the fact that Lucius Malfoy was in his room was not registering in his mind.

"Everybody, that is," said Lucius dangerously quietly, "except for Draco."

Goyle turned his head towards the voice. His eyes widened upon seeing the tall man that was standing only a few feet away. With one terrific leap, Blaise dodged passed his bed and darted out of the room, Crabbe only a few steps behind. Goyle was still struggling to get out of bed, but soon the boy was gone too.

Draco stood silently. He had no idea what his father was doing at Hogwarts especially at this time of night, but he knew the reason could not be good. Draco tightened his grip on his wand and moved a step back from his father.

Lucius, still ignoring Draco, locked the door with another wave of his wand. Draco noted with slight anxiety that his father placed a silencing spell on the room so that nobody outside could hear them. When Lucius was done, he stood facing the door, his back to Draco. He then placed his hands behind his back and swirled around to face his son.

"How are you, Draco?" he asked stiffly, but calmly.

Draco stood shocked. For one, his mind was still reeling with the events that had taken place in his room all in less than two minutes. Also, his father had never before asked how he was doing. What was up? There must be something his father wanted…he wouldn't come all the way to Hogwarts in the middle of the night to ask how he was doing.

"What are you doing here?" Draco asked coldly. He shifted his position, his body tight.

"You haven't been answering my letters," Lucius said. He walked closer to his son, whose wand hand tensed.

"I didn't think a reply was expected," Draco answered, narrowing his eyes. "What are you doing here?" he repeated.

"Perhaps I might explain just how important an event the Dark Lord coming to visit us is," Lucius said, his voice getting quieter with each syllable spoken.

"There's no need to explain," Draco said icily. Lucius's face froze as he was interrupted. "You've already made it crystal clear how much you want me to become a Death Eater and you've certainly made it clear how much you want me to kiss his feet just like you do," Draco said quietly, his voice quavering with distaste. "No, there's no need to explain to me 'just how important' the Dark Lord's visit is; you've made it clear to me that he's the most important thing in your life by ruining mine."

Silence ensued. Lucius was breathing heavily through his nose, obviously struggling to control his temper; a vein on his neck popped rhythmically. Draco waited with bated breath for the explosion that was sure to come; it always did, sooner or later.

"Your impertinence is disturbing, Draco," Lucius finally choked out. "Let me assure you that when you serve the Dark Lord, submission is key."

"Key to what?" Draco sneered. "Key to living or key to becoming his greatest flunky? Hmm? You tell me, _father_," sarcasm was laced in every syllable that Draco spoke. He knew that Lucius's hold on his temper wasn't going to last much longer. Indeed, he had pushed his father's temper over the edge one too many times; he had scars to prove it. However, at the moment, all Draco could see was the pain on his mother's face as she struggled to give him that glass orb all those years ago; all Draco could see were the countless faces of innocent people that Lucius had tortured; all Draco could see was the face of an eleven year old, red-headed girl as she unknowingly opened a diary that would change her life forever.

And all Draco knew was that he never wanted to be the person to cause any of that pain.

Ever.

"Why you little -" snarled Lucius, stepping forward, but he stopped when a wand tip quavered to a stop mere inches from his nose.

"What are you going to do this time," Draco breathed. "_Curse_ me again? You wouldn't dare harm the prize you're hoping to present to Voldemort, would you."

Lucius flinched when Draco spoke Voldemort's name. "You would do well to not speak our master's name," he said, composing himself. He pushed his son's wand out of his face and took another step forward, only to stop when Draco pointed the wand back in his face.

"He's _your_ master," Draco said, not knowing where his new-found boldness came from. "You forget that I've yet to become a Death Eater. I have no master."

If possible, Lucius became even more enraged. His face grew pale and the vein on his neck ceased popping, a dangerous sign. The man's face became still and the corner of his top lip curled up slowly. Draco watched closely, his chest heaving, waiting for his father to make his move.

Lucius took one step to the left, and Draco stepped to the right.

"That will soon change, _son_," Lucius spat. They kept circling each other slowly, never breaking eye contact. "You will become a Death Eater perhaps sooner than you think."

"And so that is the reason that you came here," Draco said quietly. "To tell me that I will become a Death Eater. Well, father, let me assure you that you have successfully wasted your time, because you've also made it perfectly clear that I have no choice in this matter."

Lucius stopped walking and Draco's wand lowered slightly. With his eyes still locked on Draco, Lucius smirked. Draco clenched his jaw, hating the fact that he was giving his father the satisfaction of knowing that he was overpowering his son. He knew though that he had to make Lucius sure that Draco was going to become a Death Eater; there'd be no hope of saving his mother otherwise. Already Draco had probably done more damage than good tonight by provoking his father, but tempers were a nasty thing to train.

"I am glad that you've finally come around," Lucius said, smoothing back his hair. "You see, Draco, I didn't come here merely to reassure myself of your commitment to this task," Lucius fingered his wand. "I came here to reassure _you._

"Crucio!" Lucius shouted.

Before Draco could move out of the way, a jet of light slammed into his chest and he dropped to his knees in pain. This time, however, Draco was able to keep consciousness and was aware of his surroundings. In particular, he noticed the feel of his wand tightly clutched in his right hand; he could almost feel every grain of wood in it. Another thing he noticed almost surreally was the form of his father grinning madly above him. With his head bowed, Draco could barely see him since only his eyes would move. He bent over even further when another wave of pain hit him. Gritting his teeth, he willed his head to move up, to face his father and defy him.

A memory of the first time Draco had experienced the Cruciatus curse hit Draco, almost causing him to forget the pain he was feeling.

Almost.

He had been five when Lucius had first called Draco into his office. Draco had unknowingly walked into a room that he'd come to hate almost as much as the man in it. Lucius had started talking about Death Eaters and the importance of being one; he had even shown Draco the Dark Mark on his arm. Draco had been repulsed by both the Dark Mark and the very graphic things Lucius told him about the "joys" of serving the Dark Lord, who was merely in hiding and would soon come back to regain his control of the world. When Draco had shown that repulsion, Lucius had flown into one of his fits and didn't cease to pull out his wand. Draco had screamed that day as he never had before; being inexperienced to the pain only made the curse harder to bear. And indeed, Draco hadn't had to endure it too long, for he had passed out. He had awoken many hours later in the dark of his room with nobody to wipe away the tears on his cheeks and only the silence as comfort.

"No!" Draco roared, struggling to his feet. The sight of his five-year old self crying in the dark and the knowledge that if his father hadn't cursed his mother as well, she'd have been there to comfort him haunted him; even those simple childhood delicacies had been deprived of him.

Draco felt the pain recede as Lucius stumbled backwards, shock on his face. Never in all these years had Draco ever thrown off the Cruciatus curse. True, he had never had as much incentive as he did now, but he had never before shown such strength.

"How -" began Lucius but he was suddenly slammed against the wall by an invisible force and again the room shook with the impact. Draco had his wand raised now, pointing straight at Lucius. Draco's hair was disheveled and his mouth was open wide, sucking in grateful breaths; his eyes shown brightly with a newfound sense of determination.

"No more!" Draco shouted again roughly. "Enough!" Lucius was still pinned against the wall, spread-eagled; his head was flat against the wall and a trail of blood was working its way out of the corner of his mouth. Lucius's eyes were wide with a mix of awe, fear, and loathing.

With a few quick steps, Draco was standing right in front of his father, staring at him with both hatred and a distinct bit of derangement on his face. "What are you going to do now, father?" Draco said quietly. "Curse me again?" his voice crescendoed. Though his body couldn't move, Lucius's eyes settled on Draco's face and all signs of awe were gone. Now all that remained was hatred.

In less than a second, Draco's adrenaline faded away with a sense of horror. He looked down at the wand in his hand and then back up at his father stuck like a fly on the wall. His eyes widened as he thought about what he had just done. He ripped his wand away and his father fell to the floor with a crash. Immediately Lucius pulled out his wand and pointed it at Draco but Draco kicked it away; Lucius went scrambling after it.

"Get out," Draco whispered. Still on his knees, Lucius grabbed his wand and spun around to face Draco. "Get out!" shouted Draco, dodging another curse sent his way. "Get out now!"

Taking one last look at Draco, Lucius stepped into the fire. "This isn't over, boy," he spat before he reached into his pocket for a handful of Floo powder. He threw the dust onto the ground under his feet and green flames erupted around him. "Malfoy Manor," he said quietly, his eyes still fixed on Draco.

Half-turned towards the fire-place, Draco saw his father disappear in the flames. After his father was gone, Draco remained in place. His mind spun with what had just happened.

He had just disarmed his own father. He had never done that before. "What am I?" Draco moaned, rubbing his head, which was throbbing from the after-affects of the Cruciatus curse. "What have I become?" He stared with empty eyes at the floor, then at the room around him. There was a small dent on the wall that Lucius had collided with. Then Draco's eyes flew to the door, which was still locked. He knew that nobody had heard their fight because of the spell Lucius had placed on the room.

_I need to get away,_ Draco thought desperately. _I don't want to be here._ He took one stumbling step towards the door before he broke into a run and ripped the door open. He tore down the steps until he reached the common room below. He barely noticed Blaise rise out of his seat as Draco sped past him, and he certainly didn't notice Crabbe and Goyle turn their heads fearfully towards him as he exited the Slytherin House.

* * *

Draco sped through the hallways, not caring that some of the portraits were muttering at him. He had no idea where he was going or why he was running, but he didn't care about that either. But he had to run; he had to escape what had just happened back in his room.

In the end, Draco knew that he could never escape it.

That didn't stop him from trying though.

He was changing, Draco knew it. The changes weren't happening outwardly but inwardly, and they all traced back to a few years ago when he had come to despise his father for what he was and what he did. Those changes only became more pronounced over the past few months, however, ever since he started keeping company with Ginny Weasley. Draco didn't know what it was about her, but she seemed to bring out things in him Draco didn't know were there.

Such as the ability to defy his father. Where had that come from, anyway? As long as Draco knew, he had let himself be pushed around by his father. Since when did he start sticking up to him?

Since he began to see what was right…

…and began to know that who he was, was very wrong indeed.

_What's happening to me?_ thought Draco. _I don't like this…I don't know this._

He kept running, thinking that if he ran fast enough, he could leave behind the memories that haunted him, teased him.

But in the end, Draco knew that there was no escape.

Not from what was already a part of him.

* * *

Ginny woke in the night with a feeling of unrest that she couldn't explain. She sat up and looked around. There was nothing out of place in her room; her dorm-mates were all sound asleep.

_As you should be, Ginny,_ she told herself. Instead of listening to her inner voice, Ginny swung her legs out of bed and threw her robe on over her pajamas, which were an old pair of Charlie's that he had worn when he was her age. Though the pants were still long enough to cover her short legs – Charlie wasn't much taller than she was – the pajama top sleeves barely reached Ginny's wrist.

On her way out of the room, Ginny grabbed the ring that was sitting on her nightstand.

The common room below was very dark; only a few embers glowed in the fireplace. Ginny sat down on the couch and stared into the fire. She pulled the ring out of her pocket and looked at it again, but it was hard to see in the dim light.

"Couldn't sleep either?" said a voice from Ginny's right. The ring flew from Ginny's hand as she jumped and so startled was she that she nearly screamed.

"Neville?" Ginny asked as she knelt on the floor to find the ring. To her luck, it hadn't traveled much further than gold rug on the floor.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Neville replied. "But I couldn't sleep so I came down here."

"Oh," replied Ginny, her heartbeat slowly returning to normal. "I didn't see you sitting here. Uh, why _are_ you sitting here in the dark?" she asked, puzzled.

"Probably for the same reason you're here," Neville said quietly, staring at the dying fire. As Ginny's eyes adjusted to the dark, she could see his face more clearly.

"Well that's impossible," Ginny said, retaking her seat on the couch, "because I don't even know why I'm here. I just couldn't sleep anymore so I came down here."

"Yeah," said Neville. "I came down here a while ago…" he trailed off. "Ron snores, did you know that?" he asked with a ghost of a smile, turning his face finally towards Ginny. "And they said I'm bad…" There was silence for a moment.

"Are you okay, Neville?" Ginny asked in concern. "You seem a little…down."

"Ah, I'm fine," Neville yawned. "Just tired, I guess." He rose from the chair he was sitting in. "I think I'll go back to bed, now. It's late and I don't want to be dead to the world tomorrow."

Neville headed back towards the boys' staircase but Ginny called out to him.

"Hey, Neville," she started, and the boy turned around.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Do you ever feel like…like…" Ginny trailed off, trying to find the words. "Do you ever feel like there's something you should be doing? Or there's something out there that you…I don't know…like something that you just can't…"

"Remember?" Neville offered. "Like there's something important that you can't remember?"

"Yeah, sort of," Ginny said, looking at Neville. She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'm not making much sense; I get like that when I'm tired."

Neville nodded at her and turned back towards the staircase. He stopped with one hand on the railing and turned his head around. "Hey, Ginny?" he asked, and Ginny looked at him questioningly. "Maybe you didn't forget. Maybe you just never knew."

Ginny cocked her head to the side confusedly and was about to question Neville about what he meant but he disappeared up the stairs before she could ask anything. She was left sitting in the dark to ponder over what Neville's words meant.

* * *

Draco's chest felt about ready to explode. Gasping for breath, he stopped his incessant running and doubled over, his hands on his knees. When he had regained most of his breath, he looked up to see where he was. To his surprise, he was standing outside the entrance to the kitchens. _Why did my feet take me here?_ he thought.

Not knowing what else to do, Draco tickled the pear and stepped through the portrait hole. Instead of being bombarded by helpful house elves ready to serve him, Draco was greeted by nobody. Instead, he saw what were probably most of the elves in Hogwarts clustered around somebody who was sitting at a table, sipping something out of a cup. Though the person's back was to Draco, he recognized that hair anywhere.

"Do come in, Draco," greeted Albus Dumbledore without turning around.

Cautiously, thinking that he should leave, Draco approached the table and sat down next to the Headmaster. "Good evening," Dumbledore said, smiling at Draco. He set down the cup of whatever he was drinking and turned to face Draco properly. "What brings you out and about this late at night, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco eyed the Headmaster precariously. In truth, he should be receiving a reprimand at the moment for being out of bed after curfew, but Dumbledore didn't look angry at all. But also, Draco didn't really feel like talking to anybody at the moment, least of all Albus Dumbledore, a man Draco had been taught to hate for all his life.

"I couldn't sleep," Draco proffered.

"Ah, it was the same with me," sighed Dumbledore. "I oftentimes find myself awake at night for no apparent reason, but a cup of hot chocolate returns the thought of sleep to my mind. Would you like some?" he motioned to the cup sitting before him.

"What? No," Draco answered quickly, but already several elves were skittering away to retrieve some of the drink. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Is anything wrong, Draco," Dumbledore said more as a statement.

"I'm fine," Draco automatically replied.

"Usually the ones that say they're 'fine' are the ones who need saving the most," Dumbledore said slowly to the wall ahead of them, sipping on his chocolate. Draco turned narrow eyes to the Headmaster.

"I said I'm fine," he said gruffly, and Dumbledore nodded. The house elves returned with another mug of hot chocolate which Draco took and grudgingly set before him untouched. The elves also placed a platter of small cookies and tarts in front of the two men. Draco began to think that his entering the kitchen was a mistake and stood up to leave.

"Aren't you going to drink your chocolate?" he asked, his eyes twinkling as if they already knew the answer.

"No," said Draco with finality. He then turned around and continued walking out of the kitchens. However, one last question from Dumbledore froze him in his tracks.

"What is your greatest fear, Draco?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

Draco's heart pounded in the silence. Even the house elves seemed to know to stay out of the way, for they all hurried off to give them space.

"What kind of question is that?" asked Draco.

"Everybody fears something," Dumbledore replied. The twinkle was gone from his eye but a smile remained in place. "What do you fear?"

"I don't fear anything," hissed Draco, taking a step back towards Dumbledore, his temper rising. He pointed to himself. "Draco Malfoy doesn't fear anything."

Knowing that what he spoke was false, Draco turned around and stomped out of the kitchens. What was Dumbledore up to, asking him questions like that? Stuff like that was nobody's business but his own.

Draco continued stalking through the hallways, breathing heavily with his anger. He stopped when he heard footsteps approach from around the corner. His mind flew back to the meeting with his father and he whipped out his wand just as a body turned the corner and came face to face with him only a few feet away.

"Lumos," Draco said, and the person shied back, trying to block the light. "Weasley?" Draco asked, his wand dropping several inches. Draco saw the girl squint towards the sound of this voice.

"Malfoy?" Ginny asked. "What are you doing here?"

"What are_ you_ doing here?" Draco countered.

"I couldn't sleep, so I was going to the kitchens to get some food," she replied. Draco looked disbelievingly at her. _Why are there so many people who can't sleep out this late at night?_ he thought wondrously. "You?" she asked.

"Same," he said, shifting his feet. His eyes darted around, looking anywhere but at Ginny. Finally, resignedly, he rested his eyes on her. He saw red and white striped pajama pants under her robe; no doubt they were a hand-me-down from one of her brothers. Ginny clicked her teeth together, looking around them, obviously trying to ignore the awkward silence between them.

"My father – visited me," Draco said, his voice cracking; but he wanted something, _anything,_ said. However, as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted saying them.

"Your father?" Ginny asked, curiosity and disbelief clear in her voice. "He visited you at Hogwarts?" Draco nodded. "When?" she asked.

Draco sighed and looked for a way out of the situation. He really didn't feel like talking about his father; but he _had_ brought up the subject. "Tonight," he said. "Just a little while ago."

"Oh," Ginny said so quietly that Draco almost didn't hear her. "Well…what did he - uh…want?"

Draco's face hardened and he looked down at his feet. His father had wanted to torture him again, to make him feel pain. His father had wanted to remind him that he had no escape from becoming a Death Eater. His father had wanted to pressure him, to make him feel insignificant.

But he couldn't tell Ginny that. He didn't need pity, didn't want it; he had enough pity for himself.

"He just – just wanted to…" Draco began, still staring at the floor. "He – he just – just wanted to…My father just wanted to…" Draco's mind searched for something to say, for some reason to give Ginny, but he could only think of the horrible things his father had done all his life. Why should Draco be protecting him when all Lucius wanted to do was ruin his own son?

_I'm not protecting him,_ Draco told himself. _I'm protecting me._ At least, that's what he tried to tell himself, but his reasoning was sounding less convincing with each passing moment. And Ginny just stood there, half in the shadow of Draco's wand-light, looking at him with a mix of concern and fear on her face.

"I mean," continued Draco, not used to being so tongue-tied, "why did he even have to come, right? He could've stayed away and I would've been just fine…I don't need him to…" At this point, Draco wasn't sure if he was talking to Ginny or himself anymore. "It's just that -" started Draco, half-heartedly shrugging his shoulders, "I don't know what to do anymore." There was a note of desperation in his voice, and he both hated it and wanted Ginny to understand what he meant.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked almost defiantly, raising his face to meet hers. "What am I supposed to do? I can't help it that he's…evil," he whispered the last word like a curse. "And even if he does - make me…I can't do it. I don't care what anybody says but I can't do it."

Tears came to his eyes and he looked away, ashamed of himself. What was he doing? Since when did he start pouring his heart out to anyone, least of all Ginny Weasley? He took one step backwards, still looking intently at his shoes.

"I can't," he whispered pleadingly.

* * *

Ginny stared in horror at Draco, wondering what had happened to him. The boy she had known for six years was gone and standing in his place was someone that seemed human, normal almost. Never before had she seen Draco show any emotion and now here he was in a dark corridor of Hogwarts having an emotional breakdown. She desperately wanted to comfort him somehow, but she didn't know how or if she even could. Whatever Lucius Malfoy had done to him tonight could not have been good; it seemed to haunt Draco. Or maybe it wasn't what he had done this night but every other night of Draco's life. She knew that Draco never shared his personal life with anybody, but she could only imagine what he had gone through. But for all her life she had thought he wanted to be what his father was, what his father wanted him to be.

_But you also never knew him,_ Ginny thought. She had just believed the version of Draco her brother and Harry had cooked up and the version of Draco that he showed to everybody he met. But people don't always show the real them; sometimes they only show what other people want to see. Maybe he's been what he's been because that's all he knew how to be.

When Draco looked back up at her, Ginny could see the tears in his eyes that he was so desperately trying to will away. This Draco didn't seem like the kind of person to steal a valentine and read it to a bunch of strangers only to embarrass a little girl; this Draco didn't seem like the kind of person to spitefully call names to another just to degrade them; this Draco didn't seem like the kind of person to become a Death Eater like his father; this Draco didn't at all seem like the kind of person to steal students just because they didn't have the same magical background as he.

Ginny opened her mouth to try and say something but he took a step backward and shook his head. "I don't want to be him," he vehemently said. "I can't and I – won't." He shook his head again, more tears coming to his eyes; they never fell. "I can't," he repeated.

Then Ginny did something without even thinking. She did something that her mother would've done for one of her children. She did something that she hadn't thought would ever happen.

But it was all she knew to do.

Without contemplating the results of her actions, Ginny rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Draco's back, pulling him close to her. For a minute, Draco's arms just hung limply at his sides, but they hesitatingly came around Ginny and hugged her back. For only a second did Ginny allow herself to worry about what she was doing before she pushed away all regrets for another time. She felt Draco's hold on her tighten and his back shook with the emotion he had been holding inside for all these years. Ginny closed her eyes and rubbed his back slowly, trying to take away some of his pain.

"It's okay," she said softly. "Everything will be alright." Ginny felt Draco shake his head but he said nothing. After a moment, Draco's body stilled and Ginny wondered if he was angry with her. He pulled away slightly, his stands still on her back, and looked down at Ginny, who was staring firmly at his neck, not wanting to meet his eyes. The nature of their situation suddenly hit her; when she remembered that all she wore under her robe was pajamas, her face turned crimson.

_What did I just do?_ she thought dazedly. _Get ready for the explosion, Ginny girl._

Biting her lip, she looked up at him. In Draco's eyes she saw a blend of wonder and anxiety. She swallowed and said nervously, "Sorry."

* * *

Draco, for reasons unknown to him, felt like smiling when she apologized; he restrained himself though. There was nothing humorous about the situation, but the fact that a Weasley had just hugged a Malfoy was so astonishing that it almost seemed funny to him. She took a few steps away from him and turned her back to him, about to walk away. Then she swiveled around and opened her mouth to say something, frowned, clamped her mouth shut, and then took off running back from where she came from.

When she was gone, Draco couldn't help a tiny laugh from escaping his mouth. It died away almost instantly, though, as he thought back on what had just happened. He rested his back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling.

_Ginny Weasley just hugged me. _

He could hardly believe that it had happened, and the most disturbing thought of all was that he had enjoyed it. Then another thought came to him that brought back the sadness from earlier.

That was the first time anybody had ever hugged him.

And it was all because of Lucius Malfoy. If he hadn't cursed his mother, she'd have been there to hug him all of his life. His anger returned, but he tried to will it away. It was anger that got him in this situation tonight in the first place. It was anger that led him to harm his father, that took him out of his common room, that made him flee the kitchens, and that ultimately made him breakdown in front of Ginny Weasley.

And it was compassion that brought him out of that funk, compassion that helped him to see that maybe there was hope after all.

He pushed himself away from the wall walked down the corridor, his hands in his pockets. Only time would show him what to do, and only time would be able to heal the wounds in his heart.

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**A/N:** So? How'd you like it? The first part of this chapter (up until Draco leaves the kitchens) was really fun and easy for me to write, but after that I got stuck. I wanted that scene with Draco and Ginny in there, but it was hard for me to write. Did Draco seem too sappy and weak and totally un-Dracoish? If he did, sorry...that's what I was fearing would happen and I tried to prevent it, but I'm not so sure it happened. So please review and tell me what you think!

Please note that the title of this story will change AFTER the next chapter to "This Is Who You Are". Right after I post the next chapter, I'm going to change the title. You have been warned!

Lauren


	25. The Masquerade Ball

Sorry guys for such a long wait, and I know you probably want to kill me for making you wait this long, but please don't or you won't know how the story turns out. Lol Actually, this chapter took so long because first I had really bad writer's block. And then right when I got over it, family came in for Easter, so I had little to no time to write. And then when they leave, I suddenly have block again. I think it was so hard to write because I've been envisioning this chapter since almost the beginning of the story, so it had to be just right. Oh, and if you're reading this now, then the title of the story has probably already changed.

Disclaimer: I don't own so you don't sue.

**Chapter 25: The Masquerade Ball**

_Maybe you didn't forget. Maybe you just never knew._

Those words rotated throughout Ginny's mind all night. What did they mean? She frowned, staring at her ceiling. Since when did Neville become philosophic anyway?

Ginny rolled over so that the moonlight wouldn't shine in her eyes. It was late at night, and Ginny was unable to sleep. Ever since her encounter with Malfoy earlier…

_Don't think about that,_ Ginny told herself firmly. _Think about what those words mean._

The only problem was that Ginny had no idea what to make of them; it was one of the reasons she had left her room in the first place. What was it that Ginny didn't know? _Is Neville trying to say that I'm psychic now? _Ginny thought wryly. The only person she knew that was truly psychic, minus Sybill Trelawney, was Miss Reina.

The thought of the brightly-clad lady made Ginny remember the ring she had found tucked in the folds of her dress. She had decided earlier that evening that she would go back to the store in the morning and try to return it. She had no use for it; the ring was too big to fit her anyway.

As Miss Reina drifted out of her mind, Ginny pulled the Gryffindor gold sheets closer around her neck, willing away the chilling feeling of winter. For just a moment did her mind remain empty. Then, completely against her will, what had happened only an hour ago with Draco flooded her mind. Ginny closed her eyes and cringed. What must he think of her now? Not that Ginny cared what Draco thought about her…but he probably thought she was turning into one of his insane groupies who were only interested in his looks.

_Not that he's bad looking,_ Ginny thought. She immediately stuffed her face into her pillow and let out an angry sigh of self-annoyance. Truth be told, Draco was more than okay-looking…he was downright handsome. He always had been, actually, but Ginny had never paid much attention to it; she had been too caught up in her extreme dislike of him. Ever since she started spending more time with him, though, she hadn't been able to ignore it as well. And, even more disturbing, she had begun to see him as more than just the pompous, spoiled brat she had always thought him to be. He actually had feelings. He hadn't held them back very well this evening, though he did try.

As a matter of fact, Ginny wouldn't be surprised if Draco was trying to kill himself right now for that momentary lapse of self-preservation. What must _he_ think of _himself_ for displaying his emotions like that?

_Perhaps I'll get lucky,_ mused Ginny. _Maybe he'll be in too much a fuss over his own arse to chew on mine._

With that small hope comforting her, Ginny finally fell asleep.

* * *

After she was dressed in the morning, Ginny pocketed the ring and headed down to the common room. Since it was a Sunday, and exactly one week till Christmas, the common room was packed with students studying. Teachers had assigned lots of homework and tests due by Thursday morning, the day of the ball. Dumbledore had stated, no doubt caught up in the Christmas spirit, that afternoon classes were canceled the day of the ball. Ginny thought it practical as well as thoughtful since many students, girls in particular, would be taking several hours to get ready.

When she stepped off the stairs, Ginny started searching out her friends. Several kids in the common room were younger; specifically, they were mostly first and second years. Hogsmede was still open to the students today, and Ginny knew many were going back to the village for more shopping. She herself was going to return the ring.

"Oi! Ginny! Over here!" Ginny turned and saw her brother waving her over. Curious, Ginny walked over.

"Watcha got there, Ron?" she asked, nodding at the piece of parchment in his hand. Harry and Hermione were standing next to Ron.

"Fred and George are coming for the masquerade ball!" Ron said, his eyes excitedly running through the contents of the letter. "They just owled us."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked. "Why would Fred and George be coming?"

"Dumbledore hired them," Harry replied. "You remember those fireworks they developed that year that Umbridge was here?"

"Remember?" Ron said, stunned, turning towards Harry. "How could anybody forget! Dumbledore hired them to put on a show for the ball, down in the Quidditch pitch or something," Ron furrowed his brow, turning back to the letter. "Yeah, that's what it says."

"Professor Dumbledore wants _those_ fireworks?" Ginny exclaimed. "But those were those wild ones, right? The ones that never stopped and kept exploding and spelling out all those bad words?"

"Nah," Harry said, "they said something in their letter about a 'new line of the Weasleys' Wildfire Whizzbangs' or something like that."

"Oh," Ginny replied. She glanced at Hermione who had a look on her face somewhere between excitement and dissaprovement. Obviously Fred and George's behavior two years ago still bothered her. "Well, when are they getting here?"

"Day of the ball, I expect," Ron shrugged. "Then they'll be coming home for Christmas with us."

As Ron and Harry got into a discussion on what types of fireworks Fred and George would be bringing and whether or not they could get some for free, Ginny pulled Hermione over to the window for some privacy. Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out the silver ring, handing it to Hermione.

"I found this in with my dress," Ginny said. Hermione looked at the ring and then handed it back to Ginny. "I'm going to go return it to Miss Reina; she must've accidentally put it in there. Just don't tell Ron or Harry where I'm going, okay?"

As Ginny started to turn around, Hermione stopped her. "Wait, Ginny, you can't just go returning this."

"Why not?" Ginny asked.

"Well…I mean, she's psychic, right?" Hermione went on. "I don't think a psychic person would 'accidentally' do _anything,_ really."

"So I'm supposed to keep it?" Ginny questioned. "But I can't. For one, it's too big; it doesn't even fit me. It's too…_masculine._ Besides, Reina's already given me enough. I mean, what if this is some sort of heirloom or something?"

Hermione shrugged. "All I'm saying is that if she did put it in there, she probably wanted you to have it. Returning it might seem like an insult."

Ginny thought for a moment. Perhaps Hermione was right, but what was she going to do with the ring? She shook her head. "I guess you're right," she said, leaning against the wall. She sighed. "I suppose I'll keep it, but I don't know what I'll do with it."

"You'll think of something, I'm sure," Hermione said. With a smile, she walked back to Ron and Harry. Ginny glanced at the ring in her hand before she slipped it back in her pocket.

* * *

The few days before the ball passed agonizingly slowly. The teachers were bombarding the students with a heavy workload, wanting them to finish their testing before the holidays. Ginny's head was spinning with all of the information she had been memorizing. She had a sneaking suspicion that she had failed her Potions test and possibly her History of Magic test, but she was sure that she aced Herbology and Divinations. Trelawney passed almost every student as long as they played along with her "predictions". All she had left to do was her Transfiguration test in the morning, Charms after that, and Care of Magical Creatures right before lunch.

The snow started the night before the ball. When Ginny went to bed that night, she could still see the tiny flakes swirling in the moonlight, but by morning, she could hardly see out her window because the snow was so thick.

Still in her pajamas, she sat next to the window in her dormitory and pulled her knees up to her chest. Resting her head on her knees, she stared at the window, stared into whiteness. Ginny held her hand up to the frost-covered window and pressed her hand to the glass. She pulled her hand away and looked at the print left on the window, sighing.

It was early in the morning and the other girls were still sleeping. Today was going to be a busy day, Ginny knew. Fred and George would be arriving sometime around breakfast to prepare for that evening, and she had the rest of her tests that morning. There were no more classes after lunch, so Ginny had the afternoon free. Most likely it'd be spent preparing for that evening, but she hoped it wouldn't take all afternoon. She wanted to talk to Fred and George for a while; they'd be busy too, though.

Ginny yawned and dragged herself away from the window. If she got cleaned up first, she could go down to breakfast early just incase her brothers arrived early. The last time she had seen the twins had been for a few days that summer. Molly Weasley had wanted the boys to stay longer, but they insisted that the shop was too busy to leave for more than a few days. Over the last few years, Ginny had missed her brother's presence more and more. Fred and George were the two that she got along with best, besides Ron. She missed the strange telepathy the two shared with each other and the pranks that would spring up out of nowhere, startling though they were.

Grinning at the memories, Ginny started getting ready for the day.

* * *

When the young Gryffindor left the common room, she saw only a few students out in the hallways. Most looked as if they had just gotten out of bed and were wishing they were still there; others carried stacks of books and papers, getting in some last minute studying.

Ginny blinked the last traces of sleep from her eyes and pulled her robe tighter. The castle was dark with the lack of sunlight and extra candles had been lit in the hallways. Still, there was an odd chill in the air that no flame seemed able to curb.

When she entered the Great Hall, Ginny saw only a few students at the tables. Actually, it looked as if the House Elves had just sent the food up from the kitchen. The tables were piled high with pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages, porridge, biscuits and gravy, waffles, rolls, toast, and fruits. Seated next to each other, piling their plates high with biscuits and gravy, were two boys with flaming red hair and freckled faces, their backs to Ginny.

Immediately a grin broke out on Ginny's face and she snuck behind her twin brothers.

"Pass me that pumpkin juice, will you, Fred?" George was saying as he took a bite of breakfast. Fred nearly dropped the pitcher of juice when Ginny tapped both boys on the shoulder at the same time.

"Sister!" shouted Fred through a mouthful of bacon, turning to see Ginny, who grinned.

"Sister!" echoed George, opening his arms wide. The two boys stood and sandwiched Ginny in a hug. Ginny laughed and hugged them back.

"Have you shrunk?" asked Fred, pulling back to look at Ginny. "Yes, I knew it. Told you she'd get smaller, George," he said over Ginny's head. "I told him that this summer," he addressed to Ginny with a nod.

"I'm not shrinking," Ginny pretended to be upset, swatting Fred on the arm. "You two are just really tall. In fact, I think you've grown since summer."

"Well you're probably right," added George.

Ginny sat down across from her brothers and started buttering a piece of toast. "So Ron tells me you two are putting on a show tonight," she began. "How did that happen?"

"Dumbledore came to see us," George said gravely. "One evening just as we were closing up, he did. Said he's heard about our fireworks and thought they'd make a good conclusion to the ball."

"Is he paying you?" Ginny asked curiously.

Fred looked affronted. "You think we'd accept payment from the man who gave us our education? Who taught us all we know? Who helped our natural talent flourish so that -"

"He's paying us one hundred galleons," George interrupted. Ginny's mouth dropped. "That's right, little sister," George nodded.

"Do you know what you could buy with one hundred galleons?" she asked incredulously.

"Sure we do," Fred said, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. "You could buy the firework show that we're putting on tonight." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Fireworks aren't cheap," George said. "Especially ours."

"And why are yours so special, dear brother?" Ginny asked, raising her eyes.

"Is she insulting us?" George asked, turning to Fred.

"Why, yes, George, I do believe she is," Fred replied. They both turned their heads back to her at the same time with identical grins in place. "You'll have to watch yourself, Ginny," Fred said, grinning. "We've got lots of prototypes that we're just _dying_ to try out. You never know when something might…" he shrugged, "accidentally fall into your drink, or perhaps your dinner this evening."

"Don't try to threaten me, Fred Weasley," Ginny said, unperturbed. "You're no good at it."

"Oh, crash and burn, Fred," George laughed.

"Don't laugh, George, you're no good either," Ginny said satisfactorily. Now it was Fred's turn to laugh at George.

"So who're you going to the ball with this time, Ginny?" George asked. "Neville again?" Fred snickered.

"For your information," Ginny said, "no."

"So there's someone else?" Fred asked, pretending to be shocked. "Poor Neville will be crushed."

"Yeah, how could you go leading him on like that, Ginny?" George joked. "We guys don't appreciate it."

Ginny ignored them and took a bit of her now soggy toast.

"So who is it?" Fred asked. "Who dared to ask our little sister out?"

"We'll have to, uhh...congratulate him," George said, smiling wickedly.

"Don't you two dare do anything to him," Ginny said, motioning with the butter knife at them. "I have a Bat-Bogey Hex and I'm not afraid to use it."

"Okay, okay," George said, putting his hands up. "We won't do anything to him."

"Yeah, we _promise,"_ agreed Fred. "That is, as long as you tell us."

"It's Seamus Finnigan," Ginny said matter-of-factly. The twins looked at each other and then back at Ginny with grins in place.

"Excellent," they said simultaneously.

* * *

Ginny shivered and readjusted her scarf. It was just her luck that her one outside test would be on what seemed like the coldest day of the year. Now she'd be sniffing all evening, probably end up with a cold just in time for Christmas too.

Her Charms and Transfiguration tests had gone well enough, she supposed. She wasn't quite sure what Hagrid had planned for Care of Magical Creatures, but she wasn't too worried; he never gave hard tests, though they were usually more physical than written as the other tests were. With the snow still falling, she hoped that they wouldn't do anything that would take too long; she was already cold enough.

Around the outside of Hagrid's hut, the snow was up to her ankles. A few of her classmates were standing around already, but only the Gryffindors. They usually had Care of Magical Creatures with the Ravenclaws, but so far none of them were there. Hagrid was nowhere in sight either.

She stood under the overhang of Hagrid's house and closed her eyes, thinking of the evening to come. She was a little anxious of the ball, though she knew there wasn't much to be nervous about. Perhaps it was the thought that she was actually going with someone. Dancing wasn't exactly her thing and she didn't know what would happen later that evening when Seamus inevitably would ask her to dance. And then there was the dress. She had tried it on a few nights ago, and it fit almost too perfectly, but she was worried that she'd spill something on it. If Ginny ruined Miss Reina's old dress, she'd never forgive herself.

A crunching sound brought her back to the present. Hagrid was walking towards them, dragging a wooden crate the size of a small hippogriff.

"Hey, Hagrid, where are the Ravenclaws?" Colin asked. A few of the other students voiced similar ponderings.

"They're not coming," Hagrid said. He set the crate down. "The schedule got all mixed up and the Ravenclaws took their exam las' night when the Slytherins were supposed to take theirs."

"So…what now?" one of Ginny's dorm-mates, Gina Rowlands, asked.

"Well the Slytherins still have to take their test, righ'? So they'll be taking theirs with us; jus' got a note from Professor Sprout saying she's sending them down righ' away."

Ginny wrinkled her nose. She wasn't quite sure what year of Slytherins Hagrid meant, but she had a bad feeling that she already knew. Harry, her brother, and Hermione had taken their Care of Magical Creatures test last night as well, and had come back saying that they had had it with sixth year Ravenclaws instead of the Slytherins as it usually was with. She remembered once hearing a comment from Hermione that both the sixth and seventh years were learning the same thing in Care of Magical Creatures, but she had never thought that might mean she'd ever be taking a class with Draco Malfoy.

Almost as if on cue, she saw a group of figures making their way through the snow towards Hagrid's hut. The snow was too thick to yet make out their features, but she could almost sense that it was the seventh year Slytherins. _This ought to be interesting,_ she thought wryly.

Indeed, the lesson was branded to be interesting at the least when Draco Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, walked into the clearing. The other Slytherins, including Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, and four or five others, stood looking haughtily at them.

"I still don't see why we have to take _our_ test with these little kids just because _another _class messed up," Pansy was whining to nobody in particular, wrinkling her nose at the Gryffindors. Ginny rolled her eyes. Little kids? They were only a year younger.

"Well, now that everybody's here, let's ge' on with the lesson," Hagrid said, rubbing his hands together. Ginny glanced at Draco just in time to see Pansy loop her arm through his, and just in time to see Draco shake her away and place Blaise in between them. She worked hard to hide her smile at Pansy's indignance and concentrated on the large black creature that Hagrid was pulling out of the crate. But a sound coming from the Slytherins captured her attention again. Looking once more at Draco Malfoy, she saw him standing with his mouth open and face paling at the sight of the creature. Confused, she looked back and forth between the black thing and Draco, trying to make a connection.

Finally, she addressed Hagrid. "What is that, Hagrid?" she asked.

"This, Ginny," Hagrid said with a smile and a glance at Draco, "is a Sucking Bleater."

* * *

Draco felt shock course through him at something he had hoped to never see again; he still remembered the detention he had had with Potter and Weasley, sorting through the Sucking Bleaters in Hagrid's cabin. What had happened to the tiny creatures no longer than six inches? These things were nearly as big as Draco's whole arm. In a voice that didn't quite sound as sure as it usually did, Draco voiced his question.

"Those were jus' babies," Hagrid said, as if Draco should've known that.

"Well how did they get so bloody big?" Draco asked.

"I told ya they were magical," Hagrid assured him. "They grow mighty fast."

Draco shook his head to clear it of the shock. He didn't want anybody to see him alarmed. He could already see Ginny Weasley's smug look on her face, eyeing him out of the corer of her eye. She thought he couldn't see…he rolled his eyes. She had a lot to learn, that one did.

"Now that these fellows are bigger, we've go' to turn 'em loose," Hagrid said. "The original test I had planned for you lot got cancelled because last night's class – the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws that were supposed to be here today – used up the last o' the Bulgarian Wartless Frogs, so I had to come up with something else; you're my last class." Hagrid paused as the Bleater he was holding on to lashed out suddenly towards a friend of Pansy's, Ana Jenkins, who screeched and jumped back. The Bleater then lazily curled back up around Hagrid's hand as if laughing. Hagrid, who was starting to laugh himself, hastily coughed at the glare the Ana was sending him.

"I think he likes you," Hagrid smiled at her. Looking at Ana, Draco saw that she appeared to want to both faint and murder Hagrid all at the same time. Suddenly he was happier than he had been in a while; he supposed it had to do with his extreme dislike of Pansy and all of her friends. It also had to do with the fact that one of them had almost been eaten but a Sucking Bleater.

At least that's what Draco told himself.

* * *

Ginny grinned as Hagrid turned back to the class. "Back to business," he said, clearing his throat. "Like I said, now that these guys are full-grown, they have to be turned loose. And truth be told," he added, "they're getting' a bit big and rowdy for my cabin. Always wantin' out o' that crate…" he shook his head.

"Well, the lake is frozen over righ' now, so we can't put them in there," Hagrid said. "There's a natural spring not too far into the forest, and tha' is abou' the only other place to put them; it's a warm spring and never freezes."

"Into the forest?" Blaise Zabini questioned. "We're not supposed to go in there. Off limits, remember?"

"I know that', Mr. Zabini," Hagrid. "I've got permission though since this has to be done. Professor Dumbledore says that if you accompany me in there and help me give them a home, you'll pass your test. Oh, and by the way, this is considered your test, helping me with this. So," Hagrid continued, pushing an attempting-to-escape Sucking Bleater back into the crate with his boot, "you lot better be cooperative and pay attention; I can still fail you." He winked at Ginny. "Anyway, you're goin' to want to pay attention since we're goin' into the forest. Keep your wands out 'n ready."

Hagrid bent over and put the Sucking Bleater he was holding back in the crate. "Colin, come here and give me a hand with this." As Colin levitated the crate to follow behind him, the group started into the Forest, Hagrid in the lead.

"Fang!" he shouted, and the great dog came lumbering out of the house, padding his way through the snow. Ginny grinned and rubbed his ears as the dog came up to her and wagged his tail. Grabbing a mouthful of snow, Fang walked forward next to Hagrid, who patted him on the head affectionately.

Ginny fell into step beside Colin and tried not to feel too anxious about going into the forest. She also tried to ignore the fact that Draco Malfoy was with them.

* * *

Not too far into the forest, Ginny noticed that the air got warmer. _Probably from all the trees being so close together,_ she reasoned. The snow also got less and less thick on the ground until there was only a slight dusting that had fallen from the trees. As they continued walking, Ginny even began to sweat a little; she loosened the scarf around her neck.

Everybody in their group was quiet, not daring to utter a sound. Hagrid lumbered at the front, accompanied by Fang, whose tail was between his legs as though he were being punished. Colin walked next to Ginny and behind him was the crate full of Sucking Bleaters. Those creatures seemed to be the only ones of the group that weren't the least bit awed or afraid at being in the forest. Sharp squeaks emitted from the box now and then. Occasionally Pansy would mutter something to her friends out of the corner of her mouth, look around at them disdainfully, and raise her chin higher in the air. Most of the Gryffindors had looks of indifference on their faces; one or two skidded about nervously whenever a twig snapped. The Slytherins were all doing their best to look superior in front of the younger Gryffindors; they only ended up looking as if they had a particularly nasty smell in their noses and were doing their best to ignore it.

Draco Malfoy in particular, Ginny noticed, was restless. She snuck glances at him whenever she could, which wasn't too often. But when she did, Ginny saw his fingers tightening and relaxing, then tightening again on his wand; his eyes continuously darted to and fro, never quite resting on one object alone. He walked stiffly, almost as if he was strapped to a long plank and was forced to carry it.

A splattering of crumbly snow on Ginny's shoulder made her face whip upwards just in time to see a dark bird fleeing from a tree, the snow falling at its sudden departure. The bird let out a shrill call and Ginny wrenched her face away from its black wings when she stumbled over a rock on the ground. Colin grabbed Ginny's elbow to steady her and they continued on.

After almost ten more minutes of walking, Hagrid halted and the students all clustered around him, all of them inwardly fearing being left on the outskirts of the group as if they'd be picked off one by one.

Looking behind Hagrid, Ginny saw a spring sunk into the ground, surrounded by rocks of all shapes and sizes. Steam was rising from the pool, sending a light mist flooding into the forest. The mist hovered around their ankles as if it was clinging to them, not wanting to let them go. Ginny shifted her feet nervously, suddenly wishing she could've dealt with the Bulgarian Wartless Frogs as the other class had.

"Righ', now what we gotta do," Hagrid began in a low voice, "is just put the Bleaters into the water. They'll like it since they haven' been in water for a while now; they'll be willin' to go. But you can't just toss 'em in, because that migh' hurt 'em. You got to be gentle, see?"

Hagrid reached into the crate that was still hovering near Colin and tenderly pulled out a Sucking Bleater. He kissed it once on what Ginny supposed was the Bleater's back and then lowered it into the spring. At once the Sucking Bleater started wriggling about through the water happily. A tiny smile tugged at Ginny's mouth as she watched it.

"Why don' you set that crate down now, Colin?" asked Hagrid. Colin took the spell of the crate and it settled upon the forest floor. Peering in, Ginny saw that the crate contained many more Bleaters than she had originally thought; they were almost spilling over the top.

_This is going to take a while, _Ginny thought dejectedly, the smile slipping off her face.

* * *

Indeed, putting the Sucking Bleaters into the water proved easier said than done. The group's silence ceased as soon as the students started picking up the Bleaters. Pansy and her friends were fiercely reluctant to even touch a Bleater, let alone pick one up. Whenever one of them got close to picking it up, her friend next to her screamed, causing the first girl to scream as well and drop the Bleater. Ginny shook her head disgustedly and picked up another Bleater. The sooner this job got done the better.

Ginny saw Draco toss a Bleater into the water, ignoring Hagrid's warning of injuring them. She recalled Ron and Harry talking about their detention with Hagrid and how they and Malfoy had had to sort through Sucking Bleaters. At the time, she had wondered what a Sucking Bleater was, and how something so little could be such a menace. Now she wished she'd never found out what a Sucking Bleater was. They weren't so little anymore.

When Ginny reached for what was probably her tenth Sucking Bleater, the creature latched onto her hand. Ginny cried out as she felt the Bleater's sucker working against the palm of her hand, felt her skin being pulled out by the Bleater. She waved her arm around in distress until Hagrid, with one great yank, detached the Bleater from her hand.

"All righ' there, Ginny?" he asked, putting the Bleater into the water. "He didn't mean any harm by that; he's jus' hungry, I expect."

Ginny nodded. Sucking Bleaters had already "meant no harm" to four other students as well today. Warily rubbing her hand to get back some feeling, Ginny turned back to the wooden box.

* * *

That afternoon at lunch, Ginny sat down, grateful that Care of Magical Creatures was over. Hagrid had passed all of them, even the Slytherins, with flying colors. Only two more Sucking Bleaters had tried to assault a student, but no real damage had been done. Ginny happily bit into her sandwich, thinking of the ball that would come that night.

"Hello, Ginny," said Hermione, sitting down next to the redhead.

"Hey," Ginny replied, watching as Harry and Ron sat down across from the two girls. "Have you seen Fred and George yet?" she asked.

"We passed them in the halls on the way here," answered Harry.

"They said they had 'business to attend to'," Ron said, slightly put out. "Said they already ate and that they'd see us later. Blimey," Ron muttered, shaking his head. "We haven't seen them in almost five months, and they can hardly spare us a greeting."

"Well they've lots to do for this evening, Ron," Hermione rationalized. "And so do we," she said, turning to Ginny.

"What have you got to do?" Ron teased. "Brush your teeth?" Hermione huffed at his comment.

"No, Ronnikins," Ginny said sarcastically. "For your information, there's a lot more to it than that."

Ron looked at Harry and they both shrugged their shoulders. "All I'm going to do is change my robe…maybe comb my hair if I'm in the mood." Ginny could tell that Ron was teasing, but his statement wasn't far from the truth. He and Harry would probably change their clothes and clean up a little, but wouldn't put nearly the same amount of effort to getting ready any girl in Hogwarts would undoubtedly be doing.

"Whatever, Ron…whatever," Ginny said, taking another bite of her sandwich.

* * *

Hours later, Ginny and Hermione were sitting in front of one of the many giant mirrors hanging on the wall in the sixth year girls' dorm. The rest of Ginny's room-mates were rushing around the room and running out the door to ask a girl in another year a question.

"Which one do you think I should do, Hermione?" Ginny asked, flipping through the pages of the magazine they had borrowed from Lavendar and Parvati. Ginny had heard about magazines like this before, but she had never seen one. The magazine, "Hair Styles for Young Witches," was filled with pictures of all hairstyles imaginable from a casual twist, to braids, to the fanciest updos Ginny had ever dreamed of. All they had to do was point their wand at the hairstyle they wanted, then point the wand at their hair and say in a loud, clear voice, "Mimscalla." Then their hair would be in the exact same style as the picture.

"I don't know," said Hermione. "There's so many to choose from."

"Too many," said Ginny. There were lots of styles, but Ginny already had an idea of what she wanted. She just needed to find the right picture…

"Aha!" Ginny shouted, pointing her finger at the style that caught her eye. "Take a look at this one, Hermione," she said excitedly. Ginny moved her finger away from a picture of a model whose hair had been casually pulled back and twisted into a half pony tail, leaving a tiny strand hanging forward around the face.

"Your hair will have to be straightened for that, Ginny," Hermione said, looking over her friend's shoulder.

"Do you know how?" asked Ginny.

"No."

"Hmm. Maybe Lavendar or Parvati knows how," Ginny shrugged. "But I like this one. It's not too fancy, but still really pretty."

"We can ask them," asked Hermione. "Here, let me see that a minute."

Ginny handed Hermione the magazine and let her look through it, thinking about her future hairstyle. It would go nicely with the blue dress, not standing out too much yet just enough.

"How about this one?" Hermione asked, pointing to another style. Ginny took one look at the multiple strands of braids hanging down the girl's back and shook her head.

"Hermione, as a friend, I couldn't possibly let you be seen looking like that," Ginny said seriously.

"Is it really that bad?" laughed Hermione.

"Yes, it is," Ginny nodded. "You'd look good with your hair spiraled somehow, with all of it on top of your head."

"I don't know…" said Hermione hesitantly.

"Oh come on, it'll be really pretty," reassured Ginny. "Let me have a look." Ginny took back the magazine and started rifling through the pages. Soon she found just what she was looking for.

"This is perfect!" exclaimed Ginny; Hermione glanced at the picture and smiled.

"I love it already," said Hermione. The hairstyle Ginny had picked out was just as she had envisioned. The model's hair had been folded delicately atop her head, and a few strands of hair spiraled down to her shoulders.

"Ok, so now what?" Ginny asked, looking at Hermione.

"I guess we try it out," Hermione shrugged. Ginny knew that both girls were new to this sort of thing, being all girly. It was slightly unnerving.

"You go first," Ginny said, pushing the magazine towards Hermione. She took a deep breath and pointed her wand at the picture. She then pointed the tip to the side of her head and said "Mimscalla." Right before Ginny's eyes, Hermione's hair started curling and moving all by itself to the top of her head. Hermione watched anxiously in the mirror, but before ten seconds had passed, her hair was identical to the picture, except that Hermione's hair color had remained the same.

"It_ is_ perfect," breathed Ginny, taking in every detail. "And I guess we don't have to straighten my hair, because we didn't have to curl yours!" Hermione nodded before turning around to face Ginny.

"Now it's your turn," she said. Ginny flipped back through the magazine until she found the picture for her and repeated the same process as Hermione. Within seconds, her normally curly hair was parchment-straight and swept back behind her head in a wonderful half-twist. Ginny's mouth opened in a big "O" of excitement and she turned her head to the side to better see her new hairstyle.

"That looks great on you, Ginny," Hermione said. The two girls took one look at each other's fancy hairdo and then at the bathrobes they were wearing (ready to change into their gowns) and burst out laughing.

After a moment, Ginny, while clutching her stomach with one hand and wiping away tears with the other, said, "Why are we laughing?"

"I – don't – know," choked out Hermione in between laughs. Ginny reasoned in her mind that the reason they were laughing was from a mix of anticipation of the ball, the complete contrast from their clothes to their hair, and the fact that neither of them ever bothered to get this fancied up.

"Now what?" breathed Ginny, composing herself. Hermione sighed.

"Well, the ball officially begins in an hour, but as Head Girl, I have to be there earlier, so I suppose we had better get dressed," the older girl replied.

Ginny nodded, and Hermione disappeared for a moment to get her dress. Ginny quietly pulled out her blue dress and slipped into it, relishing the feel of the silk against her bare legs. Ginny sighed and looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing the dress across her stomach.

_I almost look…pretty,_ thought Ginny. She knew she was never an "ugly duckling", but Ginny never thought that she was truly beautiful. At summertime running about in old ripped jeans and shirts that were always too big, getting the hand-me-down robes from her brothers, Ginny had never felt very attractive. Sometimes, when she bothered to put on nicer clothes (or had the money to do so) she thought that she might be pretty. That was one reason she had always been so shy around Harry; she never thought she looked good enough. But gazing at herself now in the mirror, wearing the most gorgeous dress she had ever seen and having her hair straightened and pulled back, Ginny actually felt comfortable with herself for the first time in her life.

_I've been waiting for this moment for a long time,_ Ginny thought dazedly. _Waiting for the moment when I'd finally accept myself for who I am and not want to change it._ She licked her lips and swallowed thickly. _Well hell, Ginny girl, you finally found yourself._

A throat clearing in the doorway brought Ginny back to her senses. She turned around and smiled as she saw Hermione standing tentatively in the doorway in her red and pink dress that plumed out at her waist, holding a rather large brown and pink wooden box in her hands. If Ginny was nervous about her looks, Hermione was probably worse. Ginny almost felt bad for her, the way she was so self-conscious. _I guess that's why we're such good friends,_ thought Ginny. _We understand each other completely._

"You look great, Hermione," Ginny smiled, "but we're going to have to rethink your choice of accessories. I don't think that box will do you any good carrying it around all night."

"Well that's not what it's for," Hermione said, stepping into the room. "And by the way, you look great too." Hermione set the box down on Ginny's bed and unlatched it. "Parvati and Lavendar lent us some makeup to use."

"Makeup?" asked Ginny nervously. "Whoa, Hermione, neither of us has ever bothered with makeup. And more importantly, we don't know how to _use any of it."_ It was true; Ginny had hardly ever worn makeup. She had tried it once when she was younger but thought it too much of a hassle to bother with on a daily basis. Hermione never wore it either.

"Well, we'll just have to wing it," Hermione said, shrugging her shoulders. "It can't be that hard, can it?" Ginny distrustfully watched the box Hermione was taking various bottles and tubes out of, almost as if waiting for something horrid to jump out at her.

"I don't know about this," Ginny said, shaking her head. Hermione held two different tubes in each hand, looking at them questioningly.

"What's this one used for?" Hermione asked Ginny, holding up the tube in her right hand.

"How should I know?" Ginny asked.

Hermione sighed and picked up a bottle. "Well what about foundation? What do we do with that?"

Ginny just shrugged and looked through a few of the items in the box. "If you ask me, Hermione, we'd do better without all of this stuff," she said, holding up a set of fake eyelashes. "I mean, who'd where these things? They look like one of Hagrid's pets."

"Don't insult my stuff," came a voice from the doorway, and both girls looked up to see Parvati Patil in a dark green dress. "Those are expensive." The girl walked into the room, her large updo swaying precariously on top of her head. "Do neither of you know how to use any of this?" she asked incredulously. Hermione and Ginny shook their heads. "Hermione, I'm surprised," said Parvati. "I mean, you've been watching me and Lavendar put this stuff on for six and a half years now. Surely you paid attention at least once!" When Hermione again shook her head, Parvati looked scandalous. "Well hold on a minute," she said, scuttling back to the doorway.

"Hey, Lavendar!" she shouted into the corridor. "We have a crisis over here! Come quick!" She turned back calmly and came walking back into the room. Heavy footsteps and distant cries of "I'm coming!" could be heard from outside the room and within seconds, Lavendar Brown rushed into the room, heading straight for Parvati.

"Did you break a nail?" she asked Parvati quite seriously.

"It's not me; it's them," said Parvati, pointing to Ginny and Hermione, who looked at each other as if they had done something wrong. Glancing at Ginny and Hermione out of the corner of her eye, Parvati said quietly to Lavendar, "They don't know how to use makeup." She said this seriously, as if explaining to a mother that her only child had just died. Lavendar gasped and looked at Hermione and Ginny. She then clicked her tongue and started removing with familiarity the many items in the box.

"Parvati, you take Hermione. I'll take Ginny," Lavendar said before scooting both girls to a seat on the bed and beginning her work.

* * *

Almost a half hour later, Ginny walked down the stairs to the common room. Lavendar and Parvati had finished their "job" only a few minutes ago and Hermione had dashed out the door as soon as they were done, exclaiming that she would be removed from the Head Girl's position for being late. Ginny had taken her time coming down, knowing that she was about to face her brother, her boyfriend, and the guy she'd had a crush on for nearly six years. Ginny didn't think she'd ever looked so fancy before and she didn't know how they'd react.

As she nervously made her way through the crowded common room, her gloved hands holding onto a white and gold mask, Ginny looked for her friends. Standing near the portrait hole was one person she was looking for, Seamus Finnigan. When Seamus saw Ginny, his eyes widened and he swallowed. Ginny smiled shyly as she looked at his astonishment; Seamus looked as if he'd just laid eyes on Heaven itself.

"Wow," he said, and his voice sounded as if it had been out of use for some time. "Ginny, you look…stunning," he exclaimed. Ginny's smile grew.

"You don't look bad yourself," she said teasingly. Seamus laughed. He was dressed in a black dress robe. The only differences between the robe he was wearing now and his school robes were the absence of the Hogwarts crest on the front, the stiffer collar at the top of the dress robe, and the gleam on the robe showing that the robe had just been cleaned. His brown hair was fashionably swept over to the side and his light brown eyes glittered with happiness behind a black and white mask.

"Ron and Harry told me to tell you that they already went down, that they had to meet their dates," Seamus said.

"So they _did_ get dates then?" Ginny asked. "I didn't know if Ron was serious or not when he said he had a date. Do you want to go see?"

"Sure," Seamus said. When they were out in the hallways, he offered Ginny his arm and she let her hand rest in the crook of his elbow; the white gloves with the gold ornamenting stood out fabulously against the black of Seamus's robes, and Ginny couldn't help but smile.

They passed many other couples in the hallways, some walking or just standing and visiting. All of the girls wore dresses of every style, fabric, and color imaginable. Ginny even thought she saw a glittery orange dress go by; some she recognized from All-Occasion Dresses and others she didn't. All of the candles on the walls were lit to brighten the hallways and through the windows could be seen tons of tiny snowflakes tumbling to the ground. The stars were visible in the cloudless sky, small specks against the black abyss; it would be a good night for fireworks.

* * *

Draco took another look at himself in the mirror. He straightened his dress robe and turned to the side. _Everything looks good,_ he thought. _As it always does._ He smiled, grabbing his mask off of the bed. The only downside to this night would be his date, Pansy Parkinson. Draco suppressed a growl of frustration of who he had been stuck with.

For this night, if only this night, Draco was going to try to forget his father, his mother, the monster down in the tunnel, whoever had been kidnapping students, and all other troubles on his mind. Even though Draco would be going home for Christmas the next day, he still had no plan for helping his mother. Sprinkles of doubt were edging into Draco's mind, saying that his mother had never been under the Imperius Curse and that the whole letter was some cruel joke, but when he pulled out the letter and read it, all doubts were washed away.

As he left his room and walked down to the common room, Draco saw people scuttle away to make room on the staircase. Smirking inwardly, Draco kept a straight, serious face on the outside; people still feared him. Good.

However, when Draco saw who was standing near the fireplace with her normal pack of girlfriends, all traces of smugness vanished. Pansy Parkinson, clothed in the most hideous dress ever made, was doing her best to look seductive; she was doing a poor job. The completely black, strapless dress she was wearing made her look like a mutant mermaid. The fact that the dress was probably two sizes too small didn't help matters any.

"Hello, Draco," she said, fluttering her eyelashes as she leaned against the wall next to the fireplace. Her friends all exchanged glances, broke into a fit of giggles, and hurried away when Pansy glanced at them.

Draco swallowed. _Someone should Avada Kedavra me for ever agreeing to go with that monster,_ Draco thought. When Pansy reached onto the mantle and donned a brown, cat-faced mask with black feathers sticking out at odd angles (and also a large, ostrich feather sticking out of the back), Draco gagged. He'd be the laughing stock of school for showing up with Pansy. He thought briefly of not going, of just refusing Pansy right here, but Draco Malfoy not showing up at a ball was worse than Draco Malfoy showing up with the most frightful creature ever.

Pansy let out a little simpering sigh of happiness and looped her arm with Draco's as they walked out of the common room.

* * *

Ginny sat down gratefully in a chair in the Great Hall, thankful to take a break. For the past hour or so, she'd been dancing continuously with Seamus. The ball had been progressing steadily, and Ginny, to her surprise, was enjoying herself. The first two dances had been to upbeat songs, but the last one was slow and romantic. Ginny had blushed when Seamus's hands had rested on her waist, and she had been shyly quiet during that dance, but Seamus hadn't said anything about it. She had excused herself for a moment to rest and get a drink; Seamus had gone off to talk with Dean.

Ginny sighed and took a sip of punch and glanced around. The Great Hall looked amazing. Hermione and Ron had had a large part in overseeing the decorating, but the teachers along with the House Elves had assisted. The ceiling was enchanted to look like the sky outside; it was entirely black with tiny silver specks glittering occasionally. Snow was falling from the sky and disappearing in the air lazily before it reached anybody's head. The gold candle holders scattered on the walls had been polished until they gleamed and holly hung from them. An enormous crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling with hundreds of strands of tiny crystals hanging in loops. Candles were resting on the chandelier's branches and lit up the Great Hall spectacularly.

In each of the four corners of the room was a Hagrid-sized ice sculpture, one for each house. The Gryffindor lion stood majestically in one corner; the Slytherin serpent was in the opposite corner. To the serpent's left was an eagle for Ravenclaw and opposite that sculpture was the badger for Hufflepuff.

A large Christmas tree decorated with various glass balls, garlands, tinsels, and other trinkets stood erect on either side of the Head's table, which was the only table still in its original place. All other house tables had been removed from the Great Hall entirely. An extra table was pushed against one whole wall and was piled high with food. Chairs lined all of the other walls; some were occupied, but almost everybody was out on the dance floor, dancing to the quick tempo of some song that Ginny didn't recognize.

Looking to her left, Ginny saw Hermione and Ewan talking in a corner. They had only danced a few times; it seemed they preferred talking to dancing. She didn't think Hermione noticed, but Ginny saw that Ewan could hardly keep from staring adoringly at Hermione. Ginny laughed inside. Those two were so cute together, so innocent and genuine in their attraction to each other.

So far there had only been one blunder for Ginny that evening, and even that moment was bittersweet. It had been shortly after she and Seamus had entered the Great Hall. The two of them had meandered over to the food table and were getting a glass of punch, when she had seen Pansy Parkinson. Just as Ginny had taken a sip of her drink, she looked to the side and saw Pansy putting a tiny sandwich on her plate. One look at the Slytherin's ridiculous outfit, along with the ostentatious mask, and Ginny's drink sprayed out of her mouth as she doubled over with laughter. Pansy had glanced at her affronted and stalked away, leaving Ginny laughing uncontrollably as Seamus, also laughing, tried to steady her. When she had controlled herself, Ginny saw Draco looking at her with a mixture of amusement and shock on his face. Then he had glanced at Seamus, whose arms were still on Ginny's shoulders, frowned, and walked off.

_Bittersweet,_ Ginny thought. At first the way Draco had looked at her troubled her; she wondered what it was all about. Then when he had frowned at Seamus and walked off, she got to thinking. _Is he jealous?_ had been her first thought, but she had shaken it off. Now she wasn't so sure. _But how could Draco be jealous of Seamus?_ Ginny wondered. _If he was jealous, then that means that he…No, no that's not possible._ Ginny shook her head. Draco couldn't possibly like her. At least not like that. He couldn't! He just couldn't…

Ginny's eyes immediately started searching the Great Hall for him, but there were too many people in blocking her view. Just as she was about to get up and take a stroll, Harry and his date whizzed by her; she could hear the girl's laughter still floating through the air as she danced with Harry, obviously laughing at something he had just said. She had met Harry's and Ron's dates earlier that evening – yes, Ron had been telling the truth – but she had already forgotten their names. She had never met them before, but they were two girls in Ravenclaw, each a year younger than Ginny.

Surprisingly, though, she never even once felt jealous over Harry.

* * *

"Come on, Draco, let's dance," Pansy simpered, tugging on Draco's arm. Draco pushed her away. So far he had only danced once with Pansy, and it was bothering her.

"No, Pansy, go away," Draco said, folding his arms. Pansy stomped her foot and then turned away and struck up a conversation with Crabbe, if only to do something other than talk to Draco. When that conversation proved fruitless, she stalked away.

Draco sat down with a heavy sigh. Tonight was turning out to be more boring than he had ever imagined it to be. He refused to dance with Pansy because she looked ridiculous. More than one person had burst out laughing at the sight of her, Ginny Weasley included. When Draco had seen her for the first time that night, he had been truly surprised. She looked nice. Actually, nice was putting it mildly. She looked downright gorgeous. Draco had never actually seen her wearing clothes that fit or that were remotely feminine, but that dress looked amazing on her. The only thing about it that he didn't like – and Draco would never admit this on pain of death – was her hair. Though it looked nice on her, Draco preferred the curls; he had never been one for straight hair unless it was on him.

As if thinking of himself made him self-conscious, Draco reached up and smoothed his hair, just to make sure it was still in place. It was still early in the night; the ball would be going on for hours yet. _Might as well find someone to dance with that doesn't look like they just jumped out of horror story,_ he thought ruefully, standing up and straightening his mask. _After all, Draco Malfoy doesn't come to a ball and dance with the person he came with the whole time.

* * *

_

Hours later, Ginny was standing with Hermione at the food table, both girls putting a few orderve-type foods onto their plate. "So how's your evening going so far, Gin?" Hermione asked. "Better than a month ago when you thought it would be a royal disaster?"

"Well the night's not over yet," Ginny muttered under her breath.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "So you're not having fun?"

"No, I am," sighed Ginny, putting a piece of cheese on her plate. "It's just…never mind."

Ginny started to walk away from the table, cursing herself for about to let something slip. Hermione wasn't to be shrugged off that easily though. Hermione was almost back to the seat she'd been sitting in for most of the night when Hermione caught up to her, pulling on her arm.

"What's wrong, Ginny?" Hermione asked. Still carrying their plates of food, they walked outside of the Great Hall into the entranceway of Hogwarts, where more than a few couples were already.

"I know this may sound silly," Ginny began, "but Seamus has only danced with me a few times. I mean, for the first hour or so, all he did was dance with me non-stop, but now it's just stop."

"Well…" Hermione thought for a moment. "What's he doing now?"

"He's talking with Dean," Ginny exclaimed. "Those two have been talking for the past few hours as if this were any ordinary night!" Ginny let out an angry breath. She knew she never should have come to the ball. It was all just a big waist of time.

"Well, guys can be like that sometimes," Hermione said, trying to find the right words to cheer Ginny up. "They're too thick-headed to know what we want."

"Well Seamus must be pretty thick, then," Ginny muttered, casting a glance towards him. "What guy would take a girl to a dance and then not dance with her…" Ginny folded her arms and looked down at the ground. She knew she was overreacting, but what happened to Seamus's earlier exclamations of how beautiful she was? Was there something wrong with her? Perhaps the makeup had thrown him off. After all, Ginny had never worn any before; maybe he preferred her without.

Just then, as Hermione was about to say something else, Ewan walked up to them. "What are you doing out here, Hermione?" he asked; he didn't seem to notice Ginny yet. "I thought you were coming right back after you got-"

Ginny cleared her throat, and Ewan turned around. "Oh," he said. "Hello Ginny. Having fun tonight?" Ginny bit back a sarcastic comment and merely smiled, though it was forced. After all, Ewan wasn't the one she was mad at; he was a nice guy. Now she just wanted to be left alone.

"Actually," Hermione started in, seeing Ginny's temper surging, "we were just talking a little." As she steered Ewan back towards the Great Hall, she sympathetically looked over her at Ginny.

"Sorry," Ginny mouthed at her, now wishing she hadn't let her temper get away with her, or almost, rather. Hermione nodded and smiled weakly at her; soon the pair were back in the Great Hall. Ginny sighed and glared at the ground. She was being stupid. First off, she let herself get upset just because Seamus wouldn't dance with her. Secondly, she very nearly insulted her best friend's boyfriend just because he was being polite. And lastly, now she was left standing by herself near the doors to the Great Hall. Well, she was only alone if she didn't count the couples snogging in the corners.

Ginny leaned back against the wall and tried to think what to do. She could go back into the Great Hall, walk over to Seamus and demand why he wasn't paying any attention to her; she could go back into the Great Hall, sulk in a corner, hope Seamus would come ask her to dance, and then reject him; she could call it a night and go back up to her room; or she could stand out here till Fred and George's firework show started, which would probably be soon. Ginny knew which option she wanted to do, but she didn't think anybody would appreciate her ranting and raving in the Great Hall at Seamus.

So Ginny settled for waiting against the cool stone wall. She didn't even know why she was so upset, anyway. She didn't even like dancing. Maybe it was the fact that she was all dressed up and nobody was even paying attention to her. _Ah, well,_ Ginny thought. _That's life I guess._ She straightened her mask.

Just then, two people stumbled out of the Great Hall, both laughing. One had his arm slung around a beautiful girl whose black hair was pulled up in a loose bun. The girl wore a bright pink dress that was too small for her, and the boy's mask was resting on the top of his forehead instead of his face. When he spotted Ginny, he and the girl made their way over to them.

"Well, well, well," taunted Draco Malfoy, stopping in front of Ginny. "What do we have here? A weasel without her fox? And what would you be doing out here all alone, huh?"

"Sod off, Malfoy," Ginny said with all the disdain she could muster. The girl was watching her with her head cocked to one side and a superior look plastered on her face. "Take your little toy and go play somewhere else. I'm busy."

"Doing what?" asked Draco incredulously. "Being a hermit? Party's inside, just incase you were wondering," he indicated with his thumb over his shoulder.

"I'm – I'm," Ginny stuttered, thinking of some reason she could give Draco for being out in the hall by herself. "I'm going to see Fred and George," she said indignantly, turning around and stomping across the hall until she reached the doors that led outside. Heaving one open, she stepped out into the cold night.

* * *

Draco watched Ginny storm out of the castle, her dress waving behind her in her hurried flight. He wasn't quite sure why he had been so rude to her, but he supposed it was just his nature. Besides, he wasn't about to lose face in front of his beautiful companion, whose name he couldn't quite remember at the moment. But he_ did_ have a pretty good idea of why she was standing out in the hall by herself; he'd seen Seamus with his Gryffindor buddies all night, had seen Ginny sitting dejectedly by herself. He'd wanted to go and punch the boy in the face for ignoring her, for making her feel unappreciated, for letting her beauty go to waste that night.

Well, not entirely to waste. Draco had enjoyed watching her that evening, though he tried not to let anybody else catch him at it. _And you didn't exactly cheer her up any,_ Draco thought. _But what were you supposed to do? Go up to her, give her a hug and a pat on the back and say that everything would be alright?_ _Well, it won't. It's time she learns that life doesn't always turn out spectacular and care-free and happy and –_

"Draco?" his companion was looking at him questioningly. It was then that Draco realized he'd been staring at the doors that Ginny had disappeared out of.

"Oh," Draco said, shaking his head. "Right. Let's uh…let's go this way." And, with his arm now around the girl's waist, they walked off down the hall.

* * *

Ginny angrily stomped down the path towards the Quidditch stadium, her arms wrapped around herself. _Curse that Malfoy!_ she thought. _How dare he act like that!_ Ginny now regretted going outside. Though the snow was falling only gently, it was still bitterly cold, and since Ginny only wore a thin silk dress, she was feeling frigid right about now. Her arms were bare except for the gloves that covered her hands and lower arms, but those offered little warmth. Her cloak was back up in her common room since she had planned on going back up to get it before going to see the fireworks, but she hadn't wanted Draco to think she was going to cry up in her room. Her wand was also up there, so casting a warming spell on herself was out of the question.

_This is all Seamus's fault, _Ginny now turned her wrath on her date. _If he had just danced with me a little more, or at least talked to me, then I'd be back in there and not out here._

Ginny, still silently venting her anger on the two boys, soon reached the Quidditch pitch. Walking through the common entrance, she saw Fred and George off to the side, bending down and looking at something on the ground.

"No, we should save the Rampaging Hippogriff for after the five Sparkling Showers but use it right before the finale," George was saying.

"And in the finale we're going to –"

"Hello, boys," Ginny said, walking up to them. Fred and George whipped around to see who was trying to sneak a peek at their show, but relaxed when they saw it was only Ginny. Fred looked her up and down and let out a whistle.

"Gee, little sister," he said, "don't you look all grown up."

"Yeah, I bet Seamus could hardly keep away from you all night," added George. At the steely look that Ginny sent them, they turned back to their work. Ginny folded her arms and leaned against the paneled walls and watched the twins finish preparing the show to come. She'd wait to see the fireworks and then go back to her room. And if Seamus even dared to come see her that evening…well, he had better pray Ginny didn't see him.

* * *

Neville walked outside of Hogwarts in one of the only places he felt like he belonged, the Greenhouses. He'd been at the ball for a few hours. Truth be told, he didn't know why he'd gone. He didn't have a date, hardly knew how to danced, yet he had gone. Maybe it was so he'd fit in more. Neville knew people always laughed at him, called him a Squib, fat, and many other unthinkable things. Perhaps going to the ball, if only to talk for a few minutes with people who knew him, seemed like a normal, popular-kid thing to do.

_Guess I was wrong,_ he thought dejectedly. Even though he'd dressed the part – brand new navy blue dress robe that his grandmother had bought for him plus shiny, black dancing shoes – everybody had ignored him. Well, mostly everybody. His roommates talked with him as well as a few people from other houses who he saw in his classes, but for the most part, he stood by himself, uncomfortable and just wishing he could disappear. Nobody would even notice if he did.

So that was when he had decided to go for a walk. There were several people who were doing just that, but he decided it was much less crowded outside than even in the hallways. The only other place besides his room where he felt like he could be himself was down in the Greenhouses. After all, Herbology was his best subject. He'd actually been offered an apprenticeship from Professor Sprout for after Hogwarts; she said that she'd want to retire in a few years and Neville would make a great replacement. One thing that Neville prided himself on most was that he was second only to Hermione Granger in Herbology. He'd also been considering getting a job out of the country, perhaps working as a botanist somewhere over in Ireland. He'd always wanted to go to Ireland; he'd heard some of the rarest species of magical plants existed there. Perhaps he'd take a trip there with his grandmother when school let out. That sounded nice.

Neville wandered down the path between the Greenhouses. To his right were Greenhouses one, two, three, and four. He remembered those years very well. They were the easiest, looking back, even though they had seemed hard at the time. On his left were Greenhouses five, six, and seven; Greenhouse six was his favorite, he reasoned. Seven was slightly harder, still rewarding in knowledge, yet Greenhouse six had been the most fun. That had been the year they had studied water plants. Those had been his favorite ever since his fourth year when Professor Moody – who had actually been an escaped Death Eater, the one who had assisted with his parents' torture, actually – had given him Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean and Neville had discovered the pleasure in studying them.

As Neville approached the end of the path, he heard fireworks start. _Fred and George must've begun the show,_ he reasoned. Looking up, he saw several green, gold, and red fireworks dissipating in the air, leaving only a faint trace of smoke. Before he had left the dance, he had heard Harry and Ron saying that the fireworks were going to start soon and that they'd better get down to the stadium fast if they wanted good seats. That was why Neville's disappearance had gone so unnoticed; anyone who saw him probably just thought he was going to get a seat for the fireworks.

Neville contemplated going down to the Quidditch pitch to watch the show, but in the end he discarded that idea. For one, it would be crowded with students down there, and he preferred being alone. Secondly, he could see the show just fine from here, providing he looked between Greenhouses four and seven. If he did just that, he could see the pyrotechnics sparkling and crackling in the air.

Just then he heard a bit of noise from inside Greenhouse seven, which was directly to his left. He looked that way and through the clear walls he could see a bit of movement. Though the Greenhouses were dark, he saw two bodies move further into the shadows. _Probably just a few kids going for a bit of privacy, _he thought, his brow furrowing. _I wish they'd get out of the Greenhouse; I don't want them to destroy anything._ But Neville didn't want to go tell them off because then they'd just accuse him of being in the Greenhouses as well. Perhaps if he had been made Head Boy, or even a Prefect, he'd go in there. But certainly not when he was just an ordinary student. Just ordinary, plain old Neville Longbottom.

Instead, Neville leaned against Greenhouse four and watched as the fireworks continued. He saw a firework whistle up into the air and then disappear. With a loud crack, it suddenly exploded and a large, gold hippogriff started swooping through the air. It opened its mouth wide as it glided towards the far side of the stadium; he could hear a few screams from students but then the hippogriff flew over them and was back in the air. It circled the stadium a few times, and then a new firework shot up in the air. The hippogriff turned its feathered head and watched as the firework blew up and a silver ferret was standing high up in the air. With a loud call of delight, the hippogriff started dancing towards the ferret, which scampered away with fear.

A laugh escaped Neville's throat as he realized that the scene was portraying two of his favorite moments at Hogwarts. He remembered back in fourth year when the fake Alastor Moody had transfigured Draco Malfoy into a ferret, and then again in third year when Hagrid's hippogriff Buckbeak had attacked the Slytherin bully as well. Draco, who was constantly teasing Neville, must be red as a radish right now. Fred and George were geniuses for coming up with this specially-designed firework. He'd have to congratulate them later that evening. He could already hear loud peals of laughter coming from the Quidditch stadium, as well as some boos from the Slytherins.

Just as the hippogriff was snapping playfully at the ferret's heels as the two of them circled the stadium in the air, several fireworks shot up in the air and exploded in a shower of colors and shapes. When they disappeared, the hippogriff and the ferret were both gone, much to Neville's disappointment.

As he laughed at the thought of what Draco Malfoy had looked like as he had watched the display, he heard a noise behind him. Turning around, he saw a dark figure raise his wand. Before Neville could pull out his own wand, before his shock could register in his mind as he recognized the familiar face before him, the person shouted "Stupefy!" and Neville fell to the snow-packed earth, his eyes still open wide.

* * *

Ginny sat in one of the highest stands, watching the fireworks. Fred and George really were brilliant. The whole Quidditch pitch, with the exception of the Slytherins, had cheered when they saw the hippogriff and ferret. Draco Malfoy, who was only a few rows above her, had turned an impressive shade of scarlet and sunk low in his seat, trying to hide from the many jeering and laughing eyes. Ginny had felt a moment's pity for him, and had then laughed aloud with everybody else. Now she watched as a new set of fireworks exploded, spelling out "Happy Christmas" in bright, festive colors.

Just then Ginny saw Seamus making his way up the steps, coming towards her. A block of dread settled in her stomach at the confrontation that was to come; he must think her a complete loon for leaving. He came and settled down into a seat next to her.

"There you are, Ginny," he said breathlessly. "I've been looking for you everywhere. What happened? Why did you leave the ball?"

Why did I leave the ball? Ginny thought incredulously. Why did I leave the ball! Because you were ignoring me, you idiot! "Just because," she replied coolly, turning away slightly. I'm surprised you even noticed. She almost turned around to see whether Seamus's silence was because he was surprised, sad, angry, or any combination of the three, but she decided not to.

As a light wind passed throughout the stadium, Ginny shivered and rubbed her arms, which had been covered in goose-bumps for about an hour now. She had refused to go back and get her cloak, yet she had also not told anyone that she was cold. Now, however, she felt like doing just the opposite.

"Seamus," she said, turning to her date, "I'm cold. Will you go fetch my cloak? It's up in the common room." Nodding, looking at her warily, Seamus stood up and worked his way down the steps and eventually out of the Quidditch pitch. Ginny smiled to herself. She hadn't told him that her cloak was in her dormitory; he'd have a hard time figuring out how to get it if he couldn't even get up the charmed staircase.

Sighing with satisfaction, Ginny turned her attention back to the lights. Fred and George were now lighting a series of fireworks that when they exploded in the air, took on the image of flames; soon it looked as if the sky was burning.

Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream wrenched the night. Looking about for the source of the noise, she saw two figures come tearing into the Quidditch stadium, a boy and a girl who looked to be in their fifth year.

"He's back!" screamed the girl hysterically. "He's back! He took him!"

"We saw it!" yelled the boy. "In the Greenhouses! Quick, somebody help! He's back!"

The whole stadium went silent as they stared at the boy and girl down in the middle of the field. The flames up in the air sputtered and died, and Fred and George, who had almost lit another large firework, stood and stared at them. Only the girl's sobbing could be heard. Ginny's eyes darted towards the opposite end of the field where all of the teachers where gathered together in a viewing box. Professor Dumbledore was standing and giving instructions to the teachers. He then, along with Professors Snape and McGonagall, swept out of the box and down onto the field. Guiding the boy and girl along, the five of them soon disappeared out of the stadium.

Ginny's heart thudded and she swallowed thickly as whispers raced around the stadium. Who was back, the kidnapper? And who did he take? Several students leaped out of their seats and started dashing out of the Quidditch pitch, whether to get back to the safety of the castle or to follow the professors, she didn't know. All she did know was that their hasty flight was startling the rest of the students, and despite the remaining teacher's presence, pandemonium broke out.

Several people were screaming, saying that they were doing to die. The students closest to the ground were trying frantically to get out of their boxes and the people above them were shouting at them to hurry. A few people fell on the stairs, blocking traffic even further. Ginny stood in her seat tentatively, wondering what she should do. Their own box was high up enough that it would take forever for her to get down because of the lower students. She then regretted sitting up that high; she and her friends never did. But she had wanted to sit there so nobody would find her there; she had no idea where Ron, Hermione, Harry, or anybody else was.

Looking behind her, she saw Draco talking with Blaise. He glanced at her once, a serious expression on his face, before resuming his heated conversation. Ginny decided her best bet was to start making her way out of the box, which was what everybody else seemed to be doing.

Abandoning her seat, she entered the crowd, all of which were surging towards the stairs. Malfoy and his friends were trying to get on the stairs, even if they were bringing up the rear; Ginny herself was in the back of the group. The going was slow, trying to get down the stairs. For nearly ten minutes, Ginny was pushed, elbowed, and pushed some more as everybody attempted to get down as fast as possible. Once she almost fell, but managed to remain standing by pushing off of the back in front of her.

From back up in her seat, the confusion down on the field had seemed minor other than everybody being panicky. But once she actually got down onto the field herself, she thought twice. The double doors to the Quidditch pitch were open wide, but the mad rush to get out was clogging up the passageway. Ginny herself had been sitting on one end of the Quidditch pitch, on one of the short ends of the oval; the doors were in the middle. As she stepped onto the green turf, she was immediately swept into the current of students heading for the doors. The screams got louder as people became more panicked at being trapped in the stadium. Definitely not a good time to not have a wand, Ginny thought, cursing herself for leaving her wand behind.

Someone directly behind her stepped on her heel and Ginny, caught off balance, fell to the ground. Whoever it was, delighted that one less person was now in their path, jumped over her and continued on. Ginny kept trying to get back up, but she kept getting knocked back down. Her dress was getting filthy from being on the wet ground, but she couldn't worry about it at the moment. She needed to get out of the field and fast, because in their panic, people were getting violent. Off to her right, Ginny could see two boys who had gotten into a fight. Jinxes and hexes flew about in the air, hitting random, innocent people. Twice she got to her knees and then almost to her feet, but it was harder to get up in a dress rather than pants.

Trying not to be stepped on from people behind her, Ginny crawled forward a few paces on her hands and knees; she wasn't the only one either. A few other people had also fallen to the ground. She let out through her clenched teeth an exclamation of pain as some girl's high-heeled shoe crushed down on two of her fingers. Biting her tongue to keep from crying out, Ginny sat back on her legs and looked at her fingers. The skin on part of her pinkie was scraped away and blood was slowly oozing forth. Wiping the blood on the palm of her other hand, Ginny once again tried to get to her feet. She was successful this time, but only because somebody had roughly grabbed her elbow and was forcing her to her feet.

Ginny looked over her shoulder momentarily and saw Draco Malfoy give her a shove forward. "Get moving!" he shouted over the roar of noise. Ginny turned around and once more worked her way to the doors, this time not restraining from elbowing people if they got too close to her. She didn't want to fall again.

Though Ginny couldn't tell while she had been on the ground, she had gotten much closer to the doors. Before long, she was through them and in open air. Without the constraining walls of the Quidditch pitch hindering them, students were able to spread out over the ground. All of them were making their way toward the castle, and Ginny was soon on the path; she wasn't running very fast, however. Neither the dress nor the shoes allowed her to. She could still see Draco, who was now a little to her right. He wasn't running as fast as some of the others, instead choosing to hang back a bit. Ginny wondered if he was staying back to make sure she didn't fall again, or that she got back to the castle.

Ginny's heart softened a bit, even though she willed it not to. The fact that somebody, especially Draco Malfoy, wanted to make sure she got back safely was very comforting. Of course, he could just have a rock in his shoe, she told herself as she huffed up the path. Or maybe he just doesn't want to miss any of the action. Though the rational part of her mind was giving her those reasons, the wishful, romantic side of her told her that Draco just wanted to make sure she'd be alright.

When she finally reached the castle, she stood on the steps and looked out over the grounds at the students who were still hurrying up there. The wind had picked up somewhat, and her hair blew around her face. As Draco walked up the steps, he looked up at her, a tense, yet serious look in his eyes. Ginny turned her head and watched him go by her without a word.

Then she saw another familiar face bound up the staircase. "Ginny!" Ron shouted, pulling her into half a hug. With his arm around her shoulder, he pulled Ginny up the grand staircase and towards the Gryffindor house.

Ginny only looked back once.

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**A/N:** Ok so please review and tell me what you think. This chapter didn't quite turn out as well as I'd hoped it would be, but oh well. I thank you all for sticking with me for this long, even though I'm not a very faithful updater. Sorry.

Right. So I had all this stuff in here the first time I posted the chapter, like with how to get to the links and stuff. But those didn't work at all, goshdarnit. So now I'm replacing it all with directions on how to get to them. I was going to give them in a review reply to the people who left signed reviews, but then I started thinking that's not fair for the people who read but don't review, or the ones who review but leave an anonymous review. And yes, I know you people are out there who read but don't review. But anyway…I can only give directions for how to see Ginny's dress and hair, Hermione's dress and hair, and Pansy's dress. All of the masks are on eBay, and they're gone, but I had the pictures saved in my favorites, so all I have for them is a link and we all know that those are proving pointless. So here we go. I'm leaving the notes I had here the first time, so read those.

**Ginny's dress – **For this, it's completely coincidental that the model's hair is also red, and that the dress is the right color of blue. But I suppose that it'll give you a better idea of what it'll all look like together. For a full description on the dress, since the dress in my story differs a bit from this dress, go back to 22 and read about it.

Go to Google and type in "The Dress Catalogue". Then click on the first link, which should say "Prom Dress Catalogue". Scroll down to the bottom and click on the "Anu Pam" section. Once in there, it's the dress on the far right, up in the corner. It'll be the blue dress with the model with red hair, just in case.

**Ginny's hair** – Nothing to note on this one. Just picture it red for Ginny.

Go to Google, type in "Just Hairstyles" and then click on the first link, the one that says "Just hairstyles. Simply pictures of hair styles." Once in there, click on "Prom or Weddings" and then click on number 4. It's the fourth down on the left column and it's the girl with the blonde hair who's looking down.

**Hermione's dress** - Again, go back to chapter 22 to see a full description of Hermione's dress. It's very different (in colors) from this picture.

Go to the same website that you did for Ginny's. Except instead of going to Anu Pam, go to the Flirt section. Her dress is the third down on the far left. It's light green in the picture, just for reference.

**Hermione's hair** – Very pretty, no?

Go to Google, type in beautifulhairstylesdotcom. Then there should be the link that says "Beautiful Hairstyles for Women: Celebrity Hairstyles Pictures…" so click on that. Scroll down through the little pictures of hairstyles and lick on the link that says "Formal Hairstyles". Once in there, scroll down and it's the 15th picture down, the one that says "Half-up Half-Down Romantic Evening Hair Style." That's Hermione's hair.

**Pansy's dress-** I honestly had a lot of fun picking out Pansy's dress. I just wanted something that was horrible, ugly, and laughable, and for me, this dress is just that. It's not my style at all, so I fancy it as a Pansy dress. Just picture it completely black and without those little white specks. And not little dog collar like this picture has.

And for Pansy's dress, go to the same website as the other dresses and once again go into the Flirt section. It's the third picture (the black one) in the very bottom row. It's directly in the middle of that row.

Please leave a review guys. Tell me if you got to see the pictures.

Lauren


	26. Turn the Page

Well, I would've had this chapter up earlier, but I haven't been able to login for the past few days. There was some problem with the site, but now it's fixed…obviously. So yeah, not quite my fault for the delay. Hope you enjoy this chapter! 

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing in this story.

**Chapter 26: Turn the Page**

_Who is it?_ Draco thought, scratching his head. _Who took who?_ He had been trying to figure out who the kidnapper had taken that evening while everybody else was watching the fireworks. He had tried to catch students' faces as he came back to the castle, but in all the commotion it had been hard to tell people apart; after all, all of the boys had been wearing similar dress robes. That's one thing he knew for certain; whoever the kidnapper had decided on this time, it was a boy. That's what the two crazed students had shouted when they had run into the Quidditch pitch. And where were they that they saw the boy being abducted? If they saw him, then didn't they see the kidnapper as well?

So many questions and absolutely no answers to be found. Draco was becoming frustrated very quickly, sitting all alone in the common room. It was late in the evening, very late. After everybody had gotten back to their respective common rooms, most of the Slytherin students had gathered in the common room, every person asking questions and demanding answers that they knew nobody could give. Eventually they had all gone to bed, but in the early hours of morning, Draco still sat alert as ever, thinking things through.

There was one good thing about what had happened that night with the kidnapper taking his next prey. Draco had been at the Quidditch pitch the entire time; everybody had seen him there. No more would the suspicion and blame be on him, even though it had diminished slightly over time. He had an alibi, and the whole school was his witness. Nobody could say that he had taken the boy and then gotten back to his seat in the Quidditch stadium before those two students got there. It was impossible.

Draco sighed and folded his arms. He really should sleep. The trains would be leaving Hogwarts in the morning to take students home for Christmas. That was another thing bothering him. Home. What in the world was he supposed to do when he got there? If Lucius didn't murder him the second he set foot in the house, then he had to help his mother somehow. But no, Lucius wouldn't murder him. As Draco had told him, his father wouldn't harm him, at least not permanently. Lucius Malfoy was hoping to present a new servant to the Dark Lord. He wouldn't dare kill him.

_Ok,_ Draco reasoned. _He won't kill me. But how do I rescue my own mother from him? _This had been troubling Draco ever since he had read her letter. Lucius Malfoy surely wouldn't let him just walk out the door with her. He needed somewhere safe to bring Narcissa and then he needed to convince her to come with him. That part would be tricky because the Imperius Curse would probably prevent her from coming with her. Yet Narcissa had proven that she was capable of resisting the curse. Who knew how much that cost her to do that one night though.

Draco clenched his fist, frustration leaking through. It all seemed so helpless. Who would believe Draco when he said that his father had placed his own wife under the Imperius Curse for seventeen years? No, he could never tell anyone. That would only bring suspicion and trouble on Draco himself. The only place Draco could think of to bring his mother was Hogwarts, but he doubted that Dumbledore would allow it. Perhaps Draco would just have to rent a room in Hogsmede at one of the inns and have her stay there. But if Lucius found her…

_It's hopeless, _sighed Draco. _What can I possibly do? Even if I get her away from him, he'll find out and come after us._ Draco slowly stood and stretched. Dawn was only in a few hours. If he didn't want to sleep through the Hogwarts Express's departure in the morning, he needed to sleep now.

As Draco walked up the stairs to his dormitory, he couldn't help thinking that he'd rather sleep instead of step onto the train in the morning.

* * *

Ginny slowly packed her belongings the next morning. The other girls in her dorm were busily getting ready to go home for the holidays as well. Part of Ginny was happy to be going home, to forget about all the troubles of school and to be a kid again, but part of her felt a bit of foreboding at leaving. She couldn't help but feel like when she returned, nothing would ever be the same, that everything would change.

_It's already changing,_ she thought ruefully. Other than her first year, this had been the most abnormal year at Hogwarts so far.

She threw a pair of robes into her trunk without bothering to fold them. A quick check of the room assured her that she had left nothing behind. Just as she was dragging her trunk through the doorway, she paused and looked back. From under the bed she caught a glimpse of the dark red box that contained her dress, gloves, mask, and the ring.

Ginny dragged the large trunk back towards the bed and dropped down to her knees. She pulled the lid off of the box and gently lifted out the dress. After last night, she had worried that the grass and mud wouldn't come off, but with a little help from Hermione, she had succeeded in charming it off. Ginny opened her trunk, shoved aside a few items, and put the dress, mask, and gloves inside. She glanced back at the box and the silver ring lying inside.

After a moment's consideration, Ginny placed the ring in her robe pocket before snapping shut her trunk and hauled her trunk out of the door.

Once in the common room, Ginny went and sat with her trunk by one of the windows, where Hermione was already seated.

"How are you doing, Ginny?" she asked, not taking her eyes away from the window.

"Fine," Ginny replied.

"Dumbledore will be making an announcement at breakfast," the Head Girl said, finally turning her gaze on Ginny. Ginny's eyes widened as she saw Hermione's face. Her eyes were puffy and red; obviously she had been crying.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Ginny asked, alarmed. She saw more tears well up in Hermione's eyes.

"It was Neville," she said quietly. "That's who was taken last night. McGonagall came and talked to me and Ron earlier this morning." She sniffed and looked down at her lap. "It was in the Greenhouses. A Hufflepuff boy and a Ravenclaw girl were in Greenhouse seven and saw it all. They took off running to the Quidditch pitch and…you know the rest," she sighed.

Ginny sat in shock. Neville? What would anybody want with one of the nicest boys in Hogwarts? Ginny felt anger bubble up within her. Neville was a friend. What had happened to him? Where was he? Who took him?

"Hermione, did they see who took him?" Ginny asked, excited at the possibility of knowing who it was. Hermione, however, shook her head.

"They didn't," she said. "All they saw was some big figure come and Stupefy Neville, and they hid until he dragged him off. Then they ran."

Ginny felt a shiver race up her arms. Automatically her mind went back to the monster that she and Draco had found under the school. Is that what took Neville? Perhaps Draco and she had stumbled upon the kidnapper but hadn't realized it yet. Something in her mind, however, told her that whatever took Neville wasn't what was under the school. That was a whole other problem, one that needed serious attention. _Maybe I should just tell someone,_ she thought. _That would be the responsible thing, and it might help Neville._

As Ginny inwardly battled with whether she should reveal the monster or not, Harry and Ron approached them. Ron heaved his trunk to a halt and plopped down next to Hermione on the couch. Harry set Hedwig and her cage atop his trunk and sat next to Ron.

"I take it you know?" Harry asked Ginny, who nodded. Of course Ron would've told Harry by now, probably Dean and Seamus as well, considering they were all Neville's room-mates.

"Well, shall we?" Ron asked glumly to no one in particular.

"Shall we what?" Ginny retorted bitterly, her chin resting in her hands.

"Go down to the Great Hall," Ron answered sarcastically. He wrinkled his mouth and stood with a sigh. Harry and Hermione rose as well, and Ginny reluctantly followed them out of the common room and down to the Great Hall.

Once there, they set their trunks against the wall with everybody else's and took their seats. Breakfast was a solemn occasion that morning. Everybody was relatively quiet, pondering what had happened. Constantly students would glance up at the Heads' table, waiting for Dumbledore to say something. Obviously they figured he'd explain what had happened the night before. Soon Fred and George joined them.

"What happened to you two last night?" Ginny asked them.

"We went to our room," Fred said.

"Dumbledore had a guest room all ready for us," George added. "Somewhere up near the Room of Requirement."

"There's guest rooms here at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked in interest. "I didn't know that."

Harry and Ron looked at each other in shock. "So there's_ something_ you don't know," Harry stated.

"Are you feeling alright?" Ron asked in pretend shock.

Hermione sighed and muttered, "Boys…"

Ginny ignored her brothers and friends and scanned the Great Hall. She saw Draco sitting as usual with Crabbe and Goyle. He looked up and for a moment their eyes met. Ginny offered a tiny smile, barely perceptible. Draco's eyes widened and he looked away, causing Ginny's face to redden. She glanced down at her plate. Why did she just smile at him? _Oh, what's wrong with me…_she silently groaned, rubbing in between her eyes. _I must be going nutters._

Suddenly a throat cleared and the whole hall went silent. Dumbledore had risen from his seat.

"All of us seem to be aware of what happened last evening," he said gravely. "One of our own has been taken gain, this time Neville Longbottom, and outstanding Gryffindor student." The Headmaster paused as whispers flew around the room. "It seems while trysting in the Greenhouses, two of our students witnessed this attack, yet failed to see who took Mr. Longbottom. Rest assured that we are doing all we can to bring Neville back and will not be pacified until we solve this mystery." Dumbledore's eyes gazed at all of his students, seeming to examine them each individually. "We do not know who has been taking our students, but we will find out soon. As you all leave Hogwarts this morning to go enjoy your Christmas, keep Mr. Longbottom in your minds and hearts and hope that he makes it through this safely. The rest of the teachers and I feel that since Mr. Harding and Mr. Johnson have been returned to us safely, Mr. Longbottom will be as well. The only other thing I have to say is that I am disappointed in your actions last night, fleeing from your seats in the Quidditch pitch as you did. In times of peril, it is always better to remain calm rather than lose control over yourself. That is how accidents happen." Many of the students in the hall had the grace to look sheepishly at one another or to glance down in shame. "In the future, I expect all of you to handle yourselves with better caution for yourself and your fellow students. We must stick together during this time and help each other instead of fight. If we all do that, I am sure that we will be able to figure this mess out shortly."

With that said, Dumbledore sat down, and after a moment, talk broke out among the hall.

"Well that's that, I guess," Fred said. "Poor Neville. I knew you shouldn't have gone out with Seamus, Ginny," he said. "If he hadn't been sulking in the Greenhouses, this wouldn't have happened."

"Shut it, Fred," Ginny growled.

"Better back off, brother," George said. "She's dangerous when she's angry." Ginny sighed and got back to her breakfast.

When the group was finished eating, they were about to leave the Great Hall, collect their trunks, and get a seat on the Hogwarts Express early, when they were joined by Dean and Seamus. At seeing Seamus approaching her, Ginny groaned. This ought to be fun.

"Here comes trouble, mate," Harry whispered to Ron, seeing Seamus take a seat next to Ginny.

"Come on, boys," Hermione said, ushering them away. Ron only protested once before the three were out of sight. Fred and George, however, took their times leaving. Before she and Seamus even said one word to each other, she glared at them furiously. Obviously taking the hint, they stood.

"Way to ruin it, George," Fred hissed at them as they walked away. "We would've been able to hear if you hadn't stared."

"I wasn't staring," was all Ginny heard before the twins were gone. She turned to Seamus.

"I was waiting for you up in the common room," Seamus said. "Didn't know you'd already come down…"

"I was hungry," Ginny shrugged. "What's up?"

"Are you mad at me, Ginny?" Seamus asked. Ginny paused. What was the right answer to that? She wasn't exactly mad, her anger had dissipated during the night. However, she knew that her relationship with Seamus –if it could even be called a relationship– was not working. _I don't want to break up with anybody, though,_ thought Ginny.

"No," she ended up saying with a sigh. "I'm not mad. Not anymore. Last night I was, and I was resisting a strong urge to curse you." As Seamus's eyes widened in surprise, Ginny smiled. When he saw her smile, Seamus looked like he didn't know whether she was joking or not.

"I'll be honest with you, Seamus, I don't think this is working," she said hesitantly. Seamus hunched his shoulders and looked at her with an apologetic look on his face. "I mean, it's not you, and it's not me either, I just…" she searched for the right words. "I just don't think we're meant to be." Seamus was silent for a moment, looking down at his hands. Ginny waited fearfully for him to say something.

"I figured it'd happen sooner or later," he said, his voice heavy with resignation, as he looked up. "I just thought it'd be later."

"Seamus, I –"

"No, Ginny, don't," he interrupted, smiling weakly. "Don't be sorry. Like you said, we're meant for other people. It's okay."

Ginny looked at him helplessly, not liking the dirty feeling in her. But why should she feel dirty? She wasn't doing anything wrong.

"Does this mean I'm breaking up with you?" she asked, offering a tentative smile.

"Were we ever really going out?" he asked with his usual laugh, causing Ginny to laugh as well.

"I don't know," she laughed. "By Hogwarts standards, yes, I suppose we were."

Ginny looked at Seamus gratefully, happy that he wasn't mad at her. _A mutual breakup,_ she thought cheerfully.

Just then, there was a rustling from above and hundreds of owls poured into the room, carrying letters and newspapers. With a sudden remembrance, Ginny thought of the Nimbus 2001 she had put her name in to win a week ago in Hogsmede. What had Ron said? _They announce the winner on the day everybody leaves to go home for Christmas. _That was today. She looked up, half expecting a broomstick to plop into her lap. However, she didn't see a broom being carried by an owl. All she saw were letters. But that would make more sense, announcing the winner with a letter. That way those who didn't win wouldn't feel bad. Her hope thinned when the owls started delivering their messages and nothing came to her.

Glumly, as she walked out of the Great Hall, she thought, _I guess I was one of the ones who wasn't supposed to feel bad._ She sighed.

When she saw her trunk buried under many other bags and trunks, her spirits sunk even further. She started dragging and lifting the luggage off of her trunk as best she could, all the while grumbling under her breath about the inconsideration of Hogwarts' students.

Before long her trunk was free and Ginny was dragging it down the snow-packed path towards the Hogwarts Express. There were many other students happily making their way towards the train as well, talking and laughing with their friends in the excitement of the holidays. The crisp winter air, as well as the infectious smiles that spread across faces like lightning, helped to raise Ginny's spirit until she herself was grinning.

Many students were gathered on the platform where the train was waiting. There was a line to get on the train, but nobody seemed to care. The train wouldn't be departing for another hour, and students still had plenty of time to get seated. Hagrid was scraping snow and ice off the front of the train, and a few first years were clustered around, watching him with awe. On the opposite side of the platform was a long row of benches, covered with a wooden roof and wooden sides, facing the train. Several students were gathered around and Ginny took a seat on the bench in the corner, slightly in the shadows of the early morning.

For a few minutes, Ginny just sat and watched the bustle going on around her. She saw some students she recognized from classes; a few waved at her, and Ginny returned their greetings. Ginny wanted to wait a while before getting on the train. She still had an hour to get on, and it was too busy to get through the door at the moment anyway.

Just as Ginny was yawning, a person approached her. Ginny looked up, but the person was standing next to the sun, and the light kept her from seeing his face. When he stepped in front of the sun and blocked the light, however, she straightened her back and looked around them. Draco Malfoy stood just in front of her, looking down at her.

"What are you doing?" She hissed, her eyes darting around. What would people think if they saw them together? _Probably just think that he's making fun of my family, as he usually does,_ she reasoned, calming down again. _After all, it's not illegal for us to talk to each other._

Draco looked at her as if he didn't quite know what he was doing there. He handed her a piece of paper. "Here," he said.

Ginny looked from the letter in his hand to his face, and then warily took it. Draco's name was addressed on the front of the letter. Unfolding it, she read:

_Dear Mr. Malfoy,_

_We are pleased to announce that you have won our raffle and that a brand new Nimbus 2001 is waiting in our office for you. You may pick it up at any time, preferably after the holidays since our store will be closed for Christmas._

_Congratulations and a very Happy Christmas to you,_

_James Caroll, President of Quidditch Supply Plus_

Ginny read the note twice and sighed. What, was Draco trying rub his victory in? She felt angry for a moment, and then her anger died away. What could she expect of Draco, that he'd magically become a nice person? It didn't work like that, life didn't work like that.

"Yeah?" she asked emptily, looking back up at him and holding the letter back to him. "Congratulations, you got just what you wanted."

"I don't want it," he said stiffly. "You take it."

Ginny's eyes widened. Had she heard correctly? Did Draco Malfoy just offer his prize to her? "Excuse me?" she asked.

"You heard me, Weasley," Draco said, shifting his feet uncomfortably. "I already have a broom better than that; what would I want with another?"

Ginny let out a heavy breath, caught in a dilemma. True, she needed a new broom, but could she really accept one from Draco? If he had been any other person, she would've accepted his offer.

"I – I can't," she said, biting her tongue for wanting to say "yes."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Look, Weasley, just forget your pride, alright, and take the broom. I don't need it. And give them this." He held out another piece of paper. "It's me saying that you can have the broom, just so they don't think you're stealing it."

"Why would you give _me_ a broom?" Ginny asked. "Especially one that _you_ won."

The uncomfortable look came back into Draco's eyes; he looked as if he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Well," he said, his usual arrogance coming back only slightly, "I don't want to beat a handicapped team, and with you on one of those antiqueschool brooms, you're definitely handicapped. I want to beat the best."

Ginny didn't know what to say. This was a kind offer, but she still didn't know what to do. What her friends say if they knew she accepted a broom from Draco. Well, she could never tell them, obviously. She'd have to tell them that she herself got the letter and that she won. It could work, since they had left before the mail came. Seamus had been with her, but she could possibly, if he ever brought the subject up, say that the letter had been delivered later on. Yes, it just might work.

"Well," she began, but Draco cut in.

"Just take it, Ginny," he said simply. "Don't ask questions. Just take it."

Ginny barely had time to register the fact that Draco had called her by her first name before he started to walk away. "Wait," she called out, standing up. She glanced about for a moment, but nobody seemed to be paying much attention to them. Draco turned around and looked at her, almost fearfully. Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out the silver ring. She looked at it once before holding it out to Draco.

"Then take this," she said. "I don't need it either, just like you don't need that broom."

"A ring?" Draco asked, a small smirk creeping up his face. "What is this…wait, you're not proposing, are you?" he asked, grinning widely. Ginny didn't know whether to smack him or laugh, but in the end she couldn't help the smile that graced her face. "Because if you are, you're too late. Two first years, a third year, and all the girls in my house have already beaten you to it, so I hate to disappoint you, but -"

"Stop it," Ginny said, laughing. "I found it and it's too big for me. Besides, it's a guy's ring. I have absolutely no use for it, and it doesn't need to go to waste."

"Well," Draco said, all levity gone, "I – well, yeah…" he was looking at the ring in Ginny's hand. For a moment, Ginny didn't think he'd take it, but he ended up reaching out and gingerly picked it up with his thumb and forefinger. He looked at it a minute and then he shrugged and put it in his pocket. Then, as if realizing that he was talking to Ginny Weasley in perfect sight of everybody, he said uncomfortably, "Yeah, well, see you around," before turning around.

"Goodbye," Ginny called after him, "Draco," she added with a whisper, her gaze lingering on his back as he disappeared in the crowd.

* * *

"Where's Ginny?" Hermione was asking as Ginny dragged her trunk down the corridor on the Hogwarts Express.

"I'm here," she said, standing in the doorway. Inside the compartment were Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ewan, sitting next to Hermione. Ginny, with a vicious shove, got her trunk under the seat and sat down next to Ron. "Look," she said, handing the letter that Draco had given her to Hermione.

"Is this good news?" she asked, looking at the letter.

"It's very good news," Ginny smiled.

"'Dear Miss Weasley,'" Hermione read aloud. "'We are pleased to announce that you have won our raffle and that a brand new Nimbus 2001 is waiting in our office for you.' Ginny, this is great!" Hermione said. "You won!"

"Yes," Ginny said. She had changed the name on the letter with a simple spell. It was the only thing she could think to do so that nobody would ask questions about how she got the broom.

"Nice one, sis," Ron said. "We'll beat those lousy Slytherins for sure, now," he and Harry grinned.

"Yeah, imagine Malfoy's face when he sees that you won instead of him," Harry said. "He'll be so mad."

"This is great," Ron said with glee.

"What's great, little brother?" George asked as he and Fred entered their compartment. Fred ruffled Ron's hair, much to the younger male's annoyance.

"Ginny got a new broom," he said. "A ruddy good one, too."

"Ah, Ginny, moving on up, I see," Fred said, looking at Ginny proudly.

"I, uh, guess we taught her right, eh, Fred?" George said, nudging his brother in the side.

"Right you are, George," Fred answered.

"Well, we'd love to say here and join you kids," George began.

"But we've got to go," Fred continued.

"Go where?" Hermione said. "I thought you were going back to the Burrow for Christmas."

"Oh, we are," Fred said. "But if you lot think we're going to sit here for hours on a train when we can Apparate there just as easily, then you've got another thing coming."

Ron looked at his brothers ruefully, obviously wishing he could Apparate as well.

"Ta-ta," George waved at them as he and Fred walked out of the compartment and off of the train.

"We really need to get on that Apparition test, mate," Ron said to Harry.

Harry nodded.

* * *

Draco moved through the crowded train until he found the compartment his friends were in. Crabbe and Goyle sat on one side of the compartment, already eating some sweets they had brought. Draco sat down across from them and looked out the window. The ring Ginny had given him was clenched in his right hand which was resting on his knee.

When Draco had decided to give the broom to Ginny, he knew that there would be a catch. Why would she give him a ring, anyway? Draco didn't ask for it. Despite his inner turmoil, there was a strange feeling in his stomach. It couldn't have been because of the ring. Maybe it was because he'd been given a gift. But it wasn't like Ginny had intended for him to have it, like she had gone out and bought it just for him. She probably wouldn't even have given it to him if he hadn't given her the broom in the first place. It was just an exchange, a way of not being in his debt. That was all. Surely that was all.

Draco sighed. In a few hours, he'd be home with his parents. He still didn't know what to do. Would he ever know? Draco doubted it. Most likely he'd just wait for an idea to pop in his head and use his instinct to guide him through it.

There was a knock on their and Draco looked up. In walked Headmaster Dumbledore. Crabbe stopped with his hand, holding a chocolate frog, halfway to his mouth. Goyle blew some of Droobles Best Blowing Gum into a bubble and it popped, leaving a sticky pink substance on his nose.

"May I please speak to Draco alone? Dumbledore asked. Goyle and Crabbe rose from their seat, snatched up their bags of sweets, and walked out of the door.

"We'll be outside," Crabbe said back to Draco, who nodded. When the two boys were gone, Dumbledore shut the door and took a seat across from Draco, who watched him nervously.

"How are you doing?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Draco intently.

"Fine," Draco replied, gazing back at Dumbledore just as seriously.

"There's nothing going on, nothing that you want to talk about?" Dumbledore inquired.

Draco shook his head.

"What is your greatest fear, Draco?" he asked abruptly. "What is it that you are afraid of most."

Staring at his headmaster, Draco shook his head again. "I don't fear anything," he said. "There's nothing."

"I see," Dumbledore sighed, standing up. "Well then, I will see you next semester when you return to Hogwarts. Have a happy Christmas."

Draco opened his mouth to ask what Dumbledore was on about, asking him what his greatest fear was, but the enigmatic man was gone before Draco could retort.

As Dumbledore disappeared around the corner, Crabbe and Goyle lumbered back in.

"What did he want, Draco?" Goyle asked.

Draco stared at the spot where Dumbledore had walked out. "Nothing," he said solemnly. Draco tore his gaze away from the door and settled it upon his friends. "He wanted nothing."

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**A/N:** There you go. Originally this was going to be a filler chapter, but I ended up with lots of important stuff going on. It may not seem important as you read it, but it paves the way for stuff to happen later on. How'd you like the interaction between Ginny and Draco? No matter if you liked it or not, review and let me know!

Lauren


	27. Draco's Test

Alright, people, a new chapter. I can't believe I'm at 27 chapters already. I got such good feedback on the last chapter! Thank you guys! Just as a side note, I always give lots of hints and clues about what's going on in the story. But there remains one really big clue and I'm going to tell you where to find it. It's back in Chapter 2 and it's the Sorting Song, which I _did _write myself. Just to let you know, that's the biggest clue so far.

And I hope you like this chapter because it doesn't end cheerfully at all. 

Disclaimer: I own nothing of this.

**Chapter 27: Draco's Test**

When Draco stepped off of the Hogwarts express, he shielded his eyes from the bright light that greeted him. He pulled his gleaming black trunk behind him as he walked through the barrier at Platform 9 ¾ and looked for his ride, which would be the Malfoy's butler, Hampton.

During the last few minutes of the train ride, Draco had changed into more common clothing that wouldn't be so conspicuous to the Muggles. His cloak was in his trunk along with the rest of his belongings and Draco now wore a pair of jeans and a large, black sweatshirt, under which was stashed his wand. Going anywhere without his wand now would be too dangerous to risk.

After he had walked through the platform, he waited. So far, he didn't see Hampton anywhere.

"Oh, Ginny!" Draco heard to his right. "Ron, Ginny, over here!" Draco turned and saw a heavyset woman with red hair waving at Ron and Ginny Weasley. He watched as Ginny went running up to her mother and hugged her, receiving a breath-squelching hug in return. Ron, his ears pink, was hugged as well. And then, to Draco's annoyance, he saw Harry Potter walk up with Ginny and Ron and receive another warm hug from Molly Weasley. Draco looked around for Weasley and Potter's bookworm, Hermione Granger, but he didn't see her anywhere.

A throat clearing behind Draco diverted his attention. Turning, Draco saw an elderly man with thinning white hair and a wrinkled face standing directly behind him. Despite himself and his standards, Draco couldn't help but relax his face –he most certainly did not smile – at the old man, who's silent, constant presence Draco had grown accustomed to ever since he was a child.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Malfoy," Hampton greeted in a guarded tone. Draco handed his trunk to Hampton, whose gloved hand gingerly wrapped around the handle and started dragging it off.

"Where's the car, Hampton?" Draco asked, looking around. So far he didn't see one of their family cars in sight.

"It's just around the corner, sir," Hampton huffed, now using both of his hands to haul Draco's heavy trunk along. Draco turned an eyebrow at Hampton and watched as the old man struggled to deal with the weight of the trunk; Draco now noticed how much smaller the man seemed that just that summer, the way his skin seemed to hang off of the bones as if his insides had shrunken. Even his eyes had lost the warm glow they had once held.

Trying to appear disgusted at how slow Hampton was moving instead of sympathetic, Draco took the trunk back from the butler and started dragging it along with one hand. Hampton, after a stunned look at Draco, sped up to catch up with him.

"Really, sir, I can -" he started to protest.

"I've got it," Draco said, not meeting Hampton's eyes. "Let's just go."

Hampton looked at Draco regretfully, almost in shame at his own weakness. "Th-thank you, sir," he mumbled before speeding up and walking in front of Draco, leading the way. Draco thought for a moment about whether he should've helped the butler or not. If his father found out, Draco would be in trouble. Lucius looked down on Hampton and bullied him when and wherever possible, for any reason whatsoever. To Lucius, Hampton was just a piece of garbage that was hardly worthy to scrape the muck from their shoes. Draco had always pitied Hampton; the man never seemed to have the nerve to quit his job though.

"Here we are," Hampton said, opening the door of a black sedan for Draco, who left his trunk on the walk and slid into the backseat. He waited as Hampton hefted Draco's belongings into the trunk of the car and then entered the driver's seat.

With a rumble, the car jumped to life and they began the long drive towards Malfoy Manor, located in the middle of West Sussex.

* * *

Ginny smiled as she entered the familiar kitchen of the Burrow. There was something cooking in the oven that smelled deliciously like roast beef, and she could see two pies sitting on the counter, steam emitting from their centers. Ron and Harry lumbered in behind her, lugging all of their trunks inside. Ron dropped Ginny's on the floor near her feet and started hauling his own towards the stairs.

"Come on, Harry," Ron said. "This way." He and Harry then disappeared up the rickety staircase to deposit their trunks in Ron's room.

"What a gentleman," Ginny muttered, taking care of her trunk herself. As Mrs. Weasley checked on the food in the oven, Ginny started up the stairs, heading for her room. Her trunk made a _Phwump_ as it landed on each step, but Ginny ignored the racket she was making. Right as Ginny passed the twins' room, Fred poked his head out the door to see who was making the noise.

"Oh, it's only Ginny," he said glumly as he disappeared back into the room, shutting the door.

"Glad to know I'm loved!" Ginny shouted over her shoulder, wrinkling her nose. She pushed the door to her own room open and sighed in contentment as she sat on her bed, leaving her trunk sitting in the middle of her room. The disgusting pink lace curtains from when she was a baby still hung on the one lone window on the left side of the room, and her bedcover still was the same matching pink with tiny white and yellow flowers on it. Ginny really hated pink, but her family had never had the money to update her room. Most of the floors were hardwood, dusty and cracked in places, but there was an old, large rug that covered up most of the floor. Off to one side was an antique, claw-foot dresser that Molly Weasley had said used to belong to her when she was a girl. Ginny had always been fond of the wooden dresser with its curved drawers and vanity above. It was old and dented in places and the bottom drawer stuck a bit in hot weather, but Ginny wouldn't have traded that dresser in for all the money in the world.

For the next few days, it would just be the Weasley family together again. Well, the Weasley family plus Harry. Hermione had been invited to stay, as she always was, but she had declined, saying that her parents wanted her home for Christmas. She had seen Hermione drag Ewan over to meet her parents. In her experience, which was very little, Ginny knew that if a girl brought her boyfriend to meet her parents, it was serious. Hermione still wouldn't admit that Ewan was her boyfriend, but Ginny was sure that Hermione was just in denial that she was actually dating. For years, Hermione and Ginny had scoffed at the girls in Hogwarts who threw themselves at boys. One day they'd be going out with one boy, the next they were swearing their love to another. It was an ongoing source of amusement between the two girls.

_The past few days have been…interesting,_ thought Ginny, looking at herself in the mirror. The last time she had been standing in this very spot, she had been daydreaming about Harry Potter and when and if he'd ever ask her out. Now, however, it wasn't Harry invading her thoughts, but Draco Malfoy. _What does that mean?_ Ginny wondered. She was pretty sure she didn't like Draco. At least, not in the way she used to like Harry. It was impossible that she could like him; it just couldn't happen. Lately Draco hadn't been quite as horrible as he usually was though. Ginny had even found herself enjoying his company, something she still couldn't quite stomach with a clear conscious.

Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out the notes that Draco had given her. There was the note that Quidditch Supply Plus had written him, and then the note that Draco had written saying that she could have the broom. Ginny rubbed her thumb gently over where Draco's name was written.

_I, Draco Malfoy, hereby give sole ownership of the Nimbus 2001 that I won to Ginny Weasley. _

_- Draco Malfoy_

Ginny almost laughed. It sounded so short, so professional, so unlike Draco. Ginny's smile vanished off her face. If she thought that it sounded unlike Draco, then that meant that Ginny knew what Draco normally _was_ like. Ginny had a strong feeling that she hadn't even scratched the surface of Draco's personality.

Ginny turned around and looked at her room, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She wondered what Draco was doing right now. Surely he was at home, lapping up his luxurious surroundings and reveling in the fact that he could have anything he wanted.

_But no,_ Ginny thought slowly. _He has to deal with his father._ The last time Ginny had heard of Draco and his father, they weren't doing so well. When Ginny had seen Draco after his meeting with his father, he had seemed more dead and torn up inside than ever.

At least Ginny had family to look forward to and to come home to every holiday. Something told her that Draco didn't quite have that.

* * *

Dinner that evening was a quiet, if tense, ordeal. Draco sat as still as he could and tried to attract as little attention as possible. His father sat directly across from the rectangular, mahogany table and shot stony looks at Draco all evening. Draco considered himself lucky. Since he had gotten home, he hadn't seen his father yet. Not until now at dinner, and even now, Lucius hardly spoke to Draco. Similarly, Narcissa, who sat to Draco's left, spoke little if at all. This was her normal attitude, but now Draco knew the real reason behind it.

And that reason was sitting straight across from him.

He couldn't help but hate his father. Draco felt robbed of something so special, so precious…he should never have been deprived of his mother.

For the most part of the meal, Draco ignored his father and stared at his plate. When he thought it safe enough, he'd quickly glance at his mother, now seeing her in a new light. No longer did he see her as the stuck up woman she'd been all his life. No longer did he see her as some timid woman who was terrified of Lucius. On the contrary, Draco thought her the bravest woman he'd ever met. Anybody who could risk Lucius's wrath and almost throw off the Imperius Curse just to let him know the truth was surely not timid.

As soon as Draco was done eating, he pushed his chair back from the table and rose from his seat. Lucius's steel gray eyes were locked on Draco.

"I think I'll retire for the night," Draco announced. "Goodnight, Mother," said Draco as he walked by her, "Father." Narcissa, without moving the rest of her body, gently raised her head and watched Draco as he walked away. However, with a sharp glance from her husband, she turned her face back to her plate in silence.

* * *

Draco woke later than usual the next morning, but as soon as he opened his eyes, his stomach erupted in a flurry of butterflies. Tomorrow was a day that he should have looked forward to, a day to be spent merrily with family and friends, but tomorrow was the day he'd meet the Dark Lord.

As of yet, Draco still didn't know what he'd do. He could always try running away, but he'd only be tracked down. Where would he go, anyway? Nobody was willing to take in the son of a Death Eater. Nobody was willing to even consider him as anything other than that.

No, Draco would have to stay. But if he stayed, he'd surely be doomed. Draco couldn't possibly fight against Voldemort, not if he wanted to come out alive.

Draco's thoughts all of a sudden flew to Ginny. He could see in his mind a picture of her laughing, walking through the halls of Hogwarts with her friends, carrying her school books, her red hair bouncing with each step. Despite his situation and his former hatred of her, he found himself smiling. Though she didn't know it, Ginny was becoming one of the only things that caused Draco to smile these days. A year ago if he had known that he'd one day be smiling at the memory of Ginny Weasley, he would've done his best to never lay eyes on her again.

Lying on his bed, Draco turned his gaze to the nightstand beside his bed. He had lain the ring Ginny had given him on it, thinking it would probably just get stashed in a box and thrown in the closet soon enough, but he picked the silver ring up and looked at it. Again and again he had wondered why she would have given it to him, of all people, but he couldn't figure it out. Why didn't she just give it to her brother, Harry, or Seamus even, her boyfriend. At the thought of Seamus Finnigan, Draco's blood boiled. The thought of himself being jealous over Ginny terrified Draco, but he couldn't help but feel that way. He couldn't stand the way that they held hands in the hallway, sat next to each other at every meal, laughed in the hallways. But why was he jealous? Draco himself didn't want to be with her. No, that could never happen. So why shouldn't she be with Seamus?

_Well, why shouldn't she?_ Draco thought, punching his pillow into shape. _It's not like I care what she does or doesn't do with her social life. _

Draco stopped manhandling his pillow and looked back at the ring. Frowning, he got off his bed and started rummaging through the bottom drawer of his dresser where he threw odds and ends that had no proper place in his room. Years ago his grandmother –Narcissa's mother – had given him, before she had died, a necklace for Christmas that held a glass miniature of broomstick. Draco had worn the necklace until he was nine, but the broom had fallen off and shattered one day, ironically when he was flying, and he had tossed the silver chain into his dresser drawer, not knowing what else to do with it.

Now, Draco searched for the chain. He found it tangled up with an old shoestring that he had been too lazy to throw away. Draco shook and pulled at the knotted mess until finally the chain fell away from the shoelace. Walking back to his bed, he looked at the links holding the chain together and the ring sitting by his bed. There were no breaks in the links; obviously the chain hadn't been meant to hold anything other than the broom it had come with, but Draco could easily fix that.

With a simple spell and swish of his wand, he snapped one of the links loose so that he could slip the ring onto the chain. When the ring was safely on the silver chain, Draco said, "Reparo," and the chain soldered back together. He held the chain up in the air, admiring the look of the ring dangling in the air, twirling one way a bit and then the other.

Satisfied, Draco slipped the chain around his neck and tucked the ring under his shirt so that nobody could see it. He'd be in a world of trouble if anybody, especially his father, ever saw the ring or figured out how he got it.

* * *

Ginny woke bright and early to a thumping on her bedroom door.

"Go away," she mumbled, turning over and burying her face further in the pillow.

"Come on, Ginny!" Ron hollered. "It's Christmas! Presents!" Ginny could hear Ron's footsteps continue thudding down the stairs until she could hear them no longer. No matter how old Ron got, he was still as excited as ever when it came to Christmas morning.

Peaking one eye out from under the covers, she saw that the sun had hardly risen; tiny tendrils of light were snaking through her curtains, but there was a gray cast still about the room that explained just how early it was.

"Oi, some people have no sense of decency," Ginny muttered to herself, dragging her feet out of bed. If Hermione had been staying with them for Christmas, Ginny would have had to share her bedroom like everybody else was, but at the moment, Ginny was quite comfortable with having her room to herself. Harry was, as usual, bunked up in Ron's room, and Charlie, who had arrived the day before, had his old room back. Charlie had been the only other member of the Weasley clan who could make it back for Christmas. Percy still wasn't speaking with the family and Bill and Fleur had gone off to spend the holiday with Fleur's family.

Ginny scratched her head and squinted around her room. Where had she hidden the presents? Ah, yes, that's right. She had shrunken them again and stuffed them in her sock drawer. Nobody except Ginny ever went in there.

Hurriedly she got dressed and grabbed her shrunken gifts before going downstairs, where the smell of cinnamon buns greeted her.

"Happy Christmas, Ginny," her father said, coming around the corner with a cup of steaming coffee in his hand.

"Happy Christmas, Dad," Ginny said, hugging her Arthur Weasley. "Morning, Mum," she said, walking into the kitchen where Molly Weasley was sitting at the table.

"Good morning, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said warmly. "We're just waiting for Fred and George and then we can open presents. Ron is so anxious, you know," she added, taking sip of coffee. Ginny smiled. Without even going into the living room, she just knew that Ron was shaking all of the presents addressed to him and trying to guess what was in them.

Indeed, when she walked into the living room, Ron was standing next to the tree, which the family had decorated the day before, with his hands on his hips and staring down at the brightly-wrapped presents below, not seeming to notice how few there really were. Harry was standing off to the side, watching Ron bemusedly, and Charlie was sitting on the couch with his eyes closed and legs crossed.

"Happy Christmas, everybody," Ginny said, approaching the tree. She received a chorus of "Happy Christmas, Ginny," in return and she smiled as she changed everybody's gifts back to their normal size and placed them under the tree.

"We're coming, we're coming," said George and he, Fred, Molly, and Arthur Weasley all came into the living room from the kitchen.

"Why'd we have to – get up this early?" yawned Fred. "Was Ron all excited again?"

"Shut up, Fred," muttered Ron, going pink in the cheeks.

"Oh come now," said Mrs. Weasley, not wanting any arguments on Christmas. "We're all here now. Harry, dear, why don't you open a present first since you're the guest."

"Oh, no, that's ok, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry. "Ron can go first."

Ron grinned and said, "Thanks, Harry," before he started tearing the wrapping off of a present of his.

"Forget that," Fred said, his sleepiness now forgotten. He grabbed a present, tossed another to George, and Ginny watched as the three boys acted like children again; each had delighted smiles on their faces as they opened their gifts.

"A sweater, thanks, Mum," said Ron, setting aside with a bemused smile a blue sweater with a large gold "R" on the front. Every year each of the Weasley boys, and Harry as well, now, received a handmade sweater from Mrs. Weasley. This year Harry received a red and black sweater, Fred and George received matching purple and gold sweaters, and Charlie got a blue and black sweater. Ginny soon discovered, upon opening her gift from her parents, a sweater as well. Some years she got a sweater like her brothers, other years she got something different. _They must be tight on money this year,_ Ginny thought sadly. Her sweater, however, was much more feminine than her brothers', and Ginny found herself admiring it greatly. The sweater was slimmer, more form-fitting than anything her parents had ever bought for her before and was a beautiful shade of emerald green. On the upper left-hand side of the sweater, several inches below the shoulder, was a tiny gold "G" in curling script. Ginny's mouth slowly curved into a smile as she looked at it.

"Do you like it?" Mrs. Weasley asked, a note of apprehension in her voice. "I went with the green because I thought it went nicely with your hair, and I think the gold was a nice accent to it, don't you think? I was going to make you one of the usual sweaters, but I thought that they really were getting too big and baggy and that you would like –"

"I love it!" exclaimed Ginny, hugging her mother quickly. "It's gorgeous. I'm going to go try it on right now."

And off Ginny went to try on her new gift. Just as she had suspected, the sweater was much slimmer in the waist that her usual clothes were and hung half a foot past the top of her pants. Ginny turned to her right to get a better look. She decided she liked wearing something that actually fit her. Her mother had outdone herself this year.

When Ginny walked back into the living room, Ron was staring open-mouthed into a box. "Thanks, Ginny!" he said, grinning. Ginny smiled. She had gotten her brother a box containing all sorts of little Chudley Cannon memorabilia. Harry she had gotten an assortment of sweets from Honeydukes, and she already saw him biting into a chocolate frog.

As Ginny opened a few more of her presents, she discovered that Harry and Ron had both gotten her the same assortment of sweets from Honeydukes that she had gotten Harry. _This is going to last me a while,_ thought Ginny happily as she dug through the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, licorice wands, chocolate frogs, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and many other of her favorite sweets.

Hermione had placed in Ginny's care, before the older girl had gotten off of the train, both Harry's, Ron's, and Ginny's presents, saying that she didn't trust Ron or Harry to keep them till Christmas without peeking. Ginny had placed those under the tree as well as with her own, and she found, upon opening hers and watching Harry and Ron open theirs, that Hermione had gotten them each the same thing. Ginny stared at the parchment in her hands, which, to her, looked like her gift.

"What's this?" Ginny asked. "Hermione's gone and gotten us parchment for Christmas?"

"That's not just ordinary parchment," said George, stopping from tearing the paper mercilessly from the gift Ginny had given him. "I saw some of that advertised when I was going through Hogsmede; it's new, if it's what I think it is. Turn it over and look at the wrapper."

Ginny did as her brother said and read the instructions. _Typical Hermione,_ thought Ginny with a laugh when she was finished. Her friend had gotten them parchment that resisted blotching, would not let any word be spelled wrong, and shouted if a grammatically-incorrect sentence was written. Harry and Ron looked back and forth between themselves and the parchment Hermione had gotten them before shrugging and setting it aside carefully.

"Woah!" exclaimed Fred suddenly. He and George had just opened their gifts from Ginny, and if Ginny wasn't mistaken, they seemed to like them. "Thanks, Ginny!" Both twins shouted at the same time, pulling out of their boxes two white, lab robes.

"What is it?" asked Ron, turning his attention to his brothers. "Coats?"

"Not coats, dear Ronald," said George, putting on his own robe. "They're called Little River's Calamity-Proof Robes."

Ginny saw Harry and Ron exchange a puzzled look and she smiled, though she couldn't blame them for being confused. The gifts she had bought the twins were relatively new on the market. She herself hadn't even known what they were; she had just come across them and thought they'd make perfect gifts for Fred and George, though they were more expensive than Ginny would've liked. All of her money was completely gone, and she'd had to barter with the sales clerk for a solid ten minutes before he lowered the price, albeit slightly. These would come in good use for her brothers, however.

"What _are_ they, though?" Harry asked.

"While you're wearing this here robe," said George, holding up the white robe for all to see, "No sort of magic can touch you. At least no accidental magic."

"Like if a potion just exploded all over you," said Fred, flailing his arms for emphasis, "and even if it landed on you, you wouldn't get hurt."

"But now if somebody tried to jinx you, then the robe wouldn't stop it," George continued, donning the robe. "Because it wasn't an accident."

"Yes, well," said Ginny, clearing her throat, "I thought you two could use them, seeing as you're always testing new stuff out for your joke shop. Now none of your unfinished products can hurt you."

"Bloody brilliant gift, Ginny," Fred said, crossing the room and picking Ginny up, giving her a big hug. "Bloody brilliant."

"Yeah, thanks, sis," George said.

"Your welcome," replied Ginny.

"Well," said Charlie, getting up from his seat on the couch, "it's high time old Charlie boy opens a present." The second-eldest of the Weasley family, Charlie Weasley, strode over to the tree and bent down to rest of his knees. Charlie had inherited the shortness of his mother yet had a lean body with tight muscles. His hair was longer than it normally was, but Ginny liked the way it curled around his ears.

"Let's see…" mused Charlie. "This one is to me from Ginny." A bit more gently than any of the other boys, Charlie tore the paper off of a brown box. Charlie found, after undoing the lid, a pair of brown leather gloves inside.

"They're fire-resistant gloves," Ginny explained. "That way when you're working with the dragons, there's one less thing to hurt you."

"Oh, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, placing a hand on Ginny's shoulder, "you're giving such practical gifts this year." There was a very proud look in Molly's eyes as she gazed at her daughter.

"Thanks, Gin," Charlie said. He slipped the gloves on and flexed his hands. "They fit great."

_Good,_ though Ginny with relief. The gloves had also cost a pretty penny, but she had bought those before she had found Fred and George's gifts, which had been the last for her to buy. But when she had seen the gloves in the store, she couldn't help but buy them for her brother; they would be so useful.

The red-head girl watched happily as the last few gifts were opened and the last "thank-yous" and "your welcomes" were said. Her father had loved the assortment of Muggle magic tricks and trinkets that she had bought from Fred and George's shop. She had owled them a week before Christmas for some things for dad, and they had even given her a discount, her being their sister and all. And for her mother, Ginny had bought a new apron. While simple and not magical in the least, her mother had loved it all the same.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Weasley called everybody into the kitchen for breakfast and Ginny's mouth was still watering over the cinnamon rolls an hour later when she, Harry, and her brothers all went outside for a pick-up game of Quidditch.

In all of the joy at being back home with her family, Ginny was almost able to forget the pricking feeling at the back of her mind that this was only the calm before the storm.

* * *

Draco sat on his bed staring at the door. His cold hands, sweaty and heavy, were clasped together, resting on his lap. He leaned forward slightly as if waiting for the door to burst open with a bang. His breathes came labored; he'd take in a deep breath, and then in his anticipation, Draco would subconsciously hold it until his lungs felt ready to burst. Then all of the oxygen would rush out of his body and he'd start the process over again. To a bystander, it may look like Draco was hyperventilating. Maybe he was.

The reason for Draco's nervousness was clear – Lord Voldemort would be arriving shortly for his "visit", as Lucius kept calling it. Draco wasn't sure if he'd even make it through the night. If Voldemort asked him if he was ready to become a Death Eater, there was no way that Draco could deny him and live through it. At one point Draco had vowed that he'd rather die than become a Death Eater, but now he was wondering if there was a third option, one that allowed him his life _and_ his freedom. If there was, Draco would never stop searching for it.

So Draco's plan at the moment was to nod his head and say "yes" to everything the Dark Lord asked of him and just hope he'd go away before he made Draco do anything truly horrible. After he was gone, Draco would figure a way out of this whole mess, a way for himself and his mother, whom he had not even seen yesterday, Christmas Eve.

In fact, Draco hadn't seen either of his parents yesterday. Lucius had left early that morning, probably on Death Eater business, and Narcissa had, no thanks to Lucius and his Imperius Curse, stayed up in her room the entire day. Draco had spent his days as he usually did when he was home, flying around the Malfoy grounds, shut up in his room reading – which was how he became so good at all his studies, reading every book in sight over the summer and holidays– or just being plain bored. This morning that been no different, except that Draco was able to add nerves to his boredom. Every time he had opened a book to pass the time until Voldemort came, his hands had shaken so bad that he had finally given that pursuit up. Once again his mother was nowhere to be found and Lucius had locked himself in his study, ordering everybody not to disturb him or else.

A rumble of thunder outside his window caused Draco to jump from his stiff position, his heart pounding. When he realized that it was just the storm outside, he willed his heart rate to slow back down. Whatever happened this night, Draco must keep his cool. Without it he was dead.

The lightning continued to flash outside as the storm grew in ferocity. The sky was so dark it almost seemed like night; it had been raining all day, casting a gloom about this Christmas as none had ever had. Today didn't even feel like Christmas, not even for Draco. Nobody had wished him a Happy Christmas, given him a present, or even acted like this day was more special than any other. It was as if the holiday had ceased to exist.

More thunder sounded outside. Then another clap. And another. Draco turned and stared out the window behind his bed and saw sprays out rain splatter over his window in waves, the wind rocking the trees back and forth. The whole room lit up brightly and was succeeded almost immediately by another loud boom of thunder. The roar lingered in the air, seeming reluctant to let go of its hold on the storm.

Again and again the thunder kept coming until it sounded as if someone was trying to kick Draco's door down. A new crack suddenly sounded from the other side of the room. Startled, Draco fell from the bed only to leap back up again, his wand drawn and pointed towards the equally scared face of a House Elf.

"S-s-s-Sir," squeaked the House Elf, her blue eyes much larger than normal, "Master requests your company down in the foyer immediately, Sir."

Draco breathed deeply, very much relieved to see only one of the Elves. He looked at Rilla, a young female Elf who'd been sent to work in the kitchens only a few years ago, and noticed her ears trembling. "Oh, relax, Rilla," he said, lowering his wand. "I'm not going to curse you," he said scornfully.

Still trying to appear debonair instead of a nervous wreck, which he was, Draco said, "Next time don't sneak up on me so." He opened his door and took one step out, but stuck his head back in. "I don't like it." With that said, he left his room and the frightened House Elf behind.

When he got downstairs, Draco looked around warily. So far there was nobody in sight. At the entryway of the house, Lucius was pacing back and forth, his hands behind his back.

"There you are," he snarled, having noticed Draco. "What took you so long?"

Draco ignored his father's question; Lucius always became agitated when the Dark Lord's presence was near. Instead Draco straightened his robe and pocketed his wand, making sure that it could be easily-grabbed. Lucius looked Draco up and down to see if he was presentable, but Draco, having had all day to prepare to his father's standards, had no imperfections in his appearance this night.

Lucius curled his lip and looked scornfully at his son, not seeing anything with which to fault him. He stood against the wall next to a large mirror and Draco stood directly opposite him, watching him carefully.

"Fix your hair," Lucius sneered, needing something with which to degrade his son. Draco, inwardly seething, complied by brushing a few hairs on his forehead to the side. He glared at his father, who gazed back in satisfaction of having aggravated Draco.

"What do you want?" Draco asked through clenched teeth.

"The Dark Lord will be here soon," Lucius replied. "We must be waiting here to greet him. It is a great honor to have him come to us in our own house and we will not be insolent hosts."

Some of Draco's previous anxiety returned and he felt a lump form in his throat. He was just mere minutes away from the moment that could very well determine what his future was to become. He was just mere minutes away from the moment that would define him as a human, that would judge his strength, weakness, and spirit. Here was the place where either a hero would emerge or a soul take flight.

Now was the time that Lucius Malfoy had been joyfully awaiting since the moment Draco had been born.

Now was the time that Draco had anticipated all his life.

Slowly, creaking in its hinges, the door opened and a gust of wind entered the house, disturbing Draco's hair and knocking the flaps of his cloak back. The rain swept inside and dampened the wood floor; Draco shielded his eyes and squinted to get a better look. Silhouetted in the doorway was the figure of a man, tall and slim, standing there, his fingers crooked and abnormally pearly white. A flash of lightning illuminated his features and Draco saw under the hood of a cloak an oval-shaped head in a tone to match his hands, slits where a nose should've been, red eyes sunk deep within their sockets, and a leering mouth that made Draco's skin crawl.

"Aren't you going to invite me in, Lucius?" Lord Voldemort asked slowly, his lips curling into a dangerous smile. "Or have you forgotten your manners?"

"No, no, my Lord," stammered Lucius, snapping into action. "Do come in." As Voldemort swept into the room, his cloak trailing after him, Lucius sunk into a deep bow. Draco looked quickly from his father to Voldemort and, though it made Draco's blood boil with indignation, he bowed as well.

The door shut automatically behind Voldemort but Lucius and Draco still remained bent low. Draco, not moving his head, raised his eyes to see what was going on, only to see that the Dark Lord was staring straight down at him.

"You may rise," Voldemort said, and Lucius and Draco stood from the floor. "I see the boy lacks proper training," said Voldemort, his eyes traveling from Draco to Lucius. "We shall have to fix that."

"Yes, my Lord," replied Lucius. "He has always been headstrong and foolish, but that doesn't mean that with the proper _guidance,_ he can't be -"

"Silence," Voldemort hissed. Draco was still registering the malicious way that his father had said "guidance", and thus he missed the frightened look on his father's face.

"My apologies, my Lord," he said, bowing his head again.

"I never said the boy was foolish or headstrong," Voldemort continued, circling Draco. "I merely said that he wasn't sure of how to act properly around me. Rather, I like the way he holds himself. Very commanding. Almost like how you _used_ to be, Lucius," Voldemort said, turning his gaze to Lucius again. Lucius Malfoy swallowed.

"Let us go sit somewhere," Voldemort said. "Then we can discuss things further."

"Right this way, my Lord," Lucius said, leading the way down the hallway and into a large sitting room. Draco trailed after his father, not liking the way the Dark Lord kept glancing at him from behind.

Stiff and alert, Draco sat on the couch and Voldemort sat in the chair that Lucius usually sat in and his father took a seat in another chair. The atmosphere of the room was cold but had nothing to do with the temperature. Draco could feel his father's piercing eyes glued to his countenance and Draco stared at the floor. Voldemort looked around the room wearing an expression that might have been disdain, but Draco couldn't look at him for very long without having to look away.

"My Lord, would you care for something to drink, perhaps?" Lucius asked in a flowing voice. "Dinner will be ready shortly and then we can -"

"We won't be eating dinner," Lord Voldemort replied, gazing at Lucius. "We have plans." Draco noticed that the Dark Lord had a way of holding his head so that, even while sitting, he appeared as if he were looking down on them.

"Plans, my Lord?" Lucius questioned. "I was not aware that -"

"You, me, and the boy," Voldemort answered. Draco, caught between happiness at how much his father was being interrupted and fear of who was doing the interrupting, jerked his face towards Lord Voldemort at this news. What plans? What were they going to do? A cold stone of fear settled in Draco's stomach, spreading throughout his entire body until he seemed unable to breathe.

Lucius looked as if he wanted to ask questions, but Draco knew that he dared not. He himself wanted to know what was going to happen, but he didn't think he could speak even if he wanted to. Sitting here in his house was a person –no, monster– feared above all others, one who had killed many people, both innocent and guilty, and who knew no such thing as mercy.

"You see," began Voldemort, "my reason for coming here is simple. The more followers I have, the more work can get done and the quicker this country can be rid of the vermin that have tainted it. Lucius is one of my most valuable Death Eaters." Lucius tried to suppress a smile at this and Draco's mouth twitched in disgust. "It is natural, then, that his son would become what his father is, if not greater, one day, with the proper guidance, as Lucius puts it."

Draco's heart sped up again and he barely noticed the smile slide off his father's face, so intent was his gaze on Lord Voldemort. He wanted nothing to do with either man and he certainly didn't want to become his father, though part of him told him he already was.

"We must wait until the boy has finished his schooling before he can officially join me and mine," said Voldemort. "I will not deny that Dumbledore is a powerful wizard; there will be no sufficient lack of knowledge in the boy once he is out of Hogwarts, and once he _is_ out, there will be no danger in making him a Death Eater."

Draco swallowed. So it was going to happen, then, but not this night. He still had time left to figure a way out of this mess. With time came hope.

"Both physical and mental training awaits you in order to become a Death Eater, Draco," sighed Voldemort, looking at Draco longingly. "Are you up to it?" He asked the question, tilting his chin back, in a way that set the hairs on Draco's neck on alert.

"I am," Draco said unflinchingly, "my Lord," he added.

Voldemort's left-side of his lip, followed by the right, curled up into a smile, revealing stubby, yellowing teeth that sent Draco's stomach churning. "Good, Draco, good," Voldemort said with what Draco supposed was the Dark Lord's version of a laugh. "I thought as much. You're just like your father, you know," he said quietly, lowering his voice. "Yes, you are_ just_ like Lucius."

After that statement from Voldemort, the room fell silent save for the thundering rain outside. Occasionally the room would be illuminated with lightning, followed shortly by a rumbling of thunder, but still the humans inside remained quiet.

"My Lord?" asked Lucius tentatively.

"Speak, Lucius," said Voldemort, waving his hand carelessly at the man.

"My Lord, if I may be so bold as to ask, what is it you have in mind for Draco this evening?"

"Anxious are we, Lucius?" Voldemort asked amusedly. "And are you anxious, Draco?" Voldemort asked, and Draco stiffened as two sets of eyes rested upon his face.

Anxious, yes, Draco was anxious, but not in the way that Voldemort was meaning. Draco swallowed again, wondering how he should reply. "I am eager to comply with my Lord's wishes," said Draco, lowering his gaze to his lap. He didn't like looking straight into Voldemort's eyes; it was unnerving.

"Look at me, Draco," said the Dark Lord quietly, dangerously. "Are you anxious?"

Draco raised his head slowly until his eyes were staring into the red depths before him. "Yes," he said heavily. Inside Draco was screaming "No" and it made him feel sick to see the look of pleasure on Voldemort's face.

"Well then, we shall get on with it," said Lord Voldemort, standing. Lucius and Draco hastened to follow suit. "Fetch your things, Lucius," ordered Voldemort. At a summoning charm from Lucius, his Death Eater mask flew into his hands and Draco's father put it on. All Draco could see of his father now was half of a skull covering the top part of his face; his black, pointed hood was pulled up, covering the sides of the mask. "Very good," said Voldemort. "Now let us go. We are about to begin Draco's test."

* * *

Draco was soaked within a few minutes after they Apparated at the end of a long dirt lane. Draco, not having taken his Apparition test yet, was forced to use Side-Along Apparition with his father; he had let go of his father's arm as soon as possible upon their landing on the road.

Draco looked around warily. The rain was still falling harder than ever and the lightning and thunder continued as well in the dark sky. There were barren fields as far as the eye could see; only one thing stood out from the dull landscaping around them, a house a hundred yards up the lane.

"We are on the outskirts of Kent," acknowledged Voldemort. "And this is where we see if young Draco here has what it takes to become a Death Eater."

Just looking at the house gave Draco a feeling of foreboding. Whatever to come surely would not be good. Not for the people inside nor for the people outside.

"Inside that house lives an ordinary Muggle family with no knowledge of our kind. We are about to change that," said Voldemort with relish. The hairs on Draco's neck and arms rose in warning, but there was nothing Draco could do to stop what was about to come. "They have displeased me and we must rid the world of their filth," Voldemort continued on with disdain. "This is how we will test Draco. This is something a Death Eater does every day. This is where we stand."

The thunder shook the ground and Draco knew what Voldemort wanted him to do. He wanted him to go kill the Muggles inside that house. Draco's heart turned to ice. There was no way Draco could do that, but he knew that if he didn't, he himself would be killed. Voldemort wouldn't think twice about killing him and Lucius would take certain pleasure in seeing him die.

"Come," motioned Voldemort, starting up the lane. Lucius gave Draco a vicious shove in the back when he remained in his place, and the two followed side-by-side behind the Dark Lord. With each step, Draco's heart started beating faster and faster. He felt like he was caught in a nightmare; everything was surreal. He was hardly aware of the rain streaking down his face or the way his hair fell into his eyes. All he could think of was what was about to happen. Part of him wanted to shout out to the Muggles to hide, but part of him wanted to hide himself.

When they reached the front door, Voldemort paused and put a bony finger over his smile, ordering silence. Looking to his right, Draco saw Lucius wearing a wolfish grin that was truly sickening.

With one swift motion, Voldemort threw the door to the house open and marched inside, his wand drawn. Lucius as well entered the house and raised his wand before him dangerously. Draco had yet to step over the threshold to the house; his feet didn't seem to want to move. He knew that if he walked into that house, he was accepting his fate as Voldemort gave it to him, accepting the task set before him. Draco looked over his shoulder. Voldemort and his father were busy searching through the bottom story of the house and had yet to notice that Draco wasn't behind them. If ever there was a chance of escape for Draco, it was now. All he saw though were empty fields and rain. There was nowhere for him to go; his only way out was through this house.

Heart heavy and mournful, Draco stepped through the doorway and into what looked like a kitchen. There was a table that still held the remnants of an early dinner, complete with a half-empty glass of milk. Draco choked back another lump in his throat at the sight of a stuffed bear lying on the ground and walked through another doorway, where he saw his father going through drawers and ripping out odds and ends, tossing them on the floor.

_Maybe they're not home,_ Draco thought hopefully. _Maybe they're not here and won't have to be killed._

A man yelled upstairs, shattering Draco's hope, and Draco looked up at the ceiling. He heard more screams and footsteps running across the room above him. Then he heard a woman crying. Draco couldn't hear what she was saying but the tone of her voice told Draco that she was pleading. Draco could only imagine what Voldemort was doing up there.

As if they had a mind of their own, Draco's feet started moving towards a staircase. He took a few steps up and paused, his hand on the rail. He could see a limp hand coming over the top of the stairs. A few more steps revealed the dead body of a man in his early thirties; his eyes were open and unseeing, his face contorted in a look of anguish. A bit of blood was oozing from just under his hairline, a cut from when his head had hit the floor. Dead as soon as the curse had hit his body, the man had not even felt it.

"No!" the woman screamed again hysterically. "Please! Not my Sara! Please! No!" Draco froze on the steps, not wanting to go any closer yet captured by a horrifying sense of awe of what was happening upstairs. "Please…" the woman whimpered, sobbing now. Not Sara…"

" No mistakes this time," hissed the Dark Lord coldly. "Avada Kedavra!" Puzzled by the former statement but still enraptured at what was going on, Draco heard a much younger, high-pitched scream of a little girl and the woman's screaming increased.

"No!" she screamed long and loud. Draco was just about to cover his ears, so loud her scream was, when it suddenly ceased with another shout of "Avada Kedavra" from Lord Voldemort.

There was silence then, and Draco's breath was coming out in short gasps. He heard a few slow footsteps across the wooden floor and then heard one of the feet collide with something. A dull thud landed on the floor and Draco cringed, sickeningly picturing the head of a little girl falling to the floor from her mother's cold, dead chest.

The silence lasted only a moment longer. When the next thunder boomed, there was a scurrying sound from upstairs and the small body of a boy shot around the corner of the stairs, leapt over the body of his dead father, and rocketed down the stairs, nearly knocking a stunned Draco down.

Draco turned wondrously as he saw the boy run through the open door and into the storm.

"Curse it!" hissed Lucius, seeing the boy run out. "There's another one!" he shouted up the stairs. Lucius dropped the metal box he was holding and made for the open door, ready to go after the boy.

"Leave him," came a hard voice from behind Draco. Draco whipped around and saw Lord Voldemort standing at the top of the stairs. He stepped over the body and started slowly descending. Draco backed away in horror. "He is Draco's. Let him be."

Draco stared numbly at the Dark Lord. His? Draco hoped that didn't mean what he thought it meant.

Lucius's grin grew wickedly. He grabbed Draco by the collar of his robe and yanked him backwards down the last few stairs, quite literally knocking Draco back to his senses. Draco landed painfully on his back and stumbled to his feet, throwing a hateful glance at his father.

"You heard the Master," Lucius said quietly. "Go. Kill the boy."

Draco looked from his father to Voldemort, who was standing nearby. Draco was repulsed by the look on the Dark Lord's face, a look of loathing, hunger, and manic delight. "What are you, Draco?" Voldemort hissed, his voice growing more and more dangerous with each syllable uttered. "Death Eater or coward?"

Turning to face the door, Draco looked out into the rain. The lighting flashed, and the thunder rolled once again, shaking this house of horror. He looked back at the two men behind him and Draco knew what he had to do.

"I'm no coward," he said, the first words out of his mouth since they had Apparated. Without another glance at either his father or Voldemort, Draco stormed out of the house.

_You're also no murderer, what are you doing?_ he shouted inwardly. But Draco was long since past reasoning. This night had stripped him of all reason he ever possessed.

Draco raised his left hand to his face, blocking the rain from his sight. Lighting again touched down, this time not far from the house. The thunder cracked the sky and Draco felt the vibration deep within his chest. He raised his wand high. The dirt lane was fast becoming a muddy mess, and Draco took care not to slip.

Still shielding his eyes, Draco turned around, looking for the boy. There was a shed he hadn't noticed earlier off to the left side of the house, and Draco started that way. His feet squelched through the wet grass, which was starting to flood ever so slightly.

Draco reached the two double doors to the shed and tugged on them. They wouldn't open. Looking down, he saw a chain and padlock covering the doors, and he cursed. He was just about to open them with the use of his wand when he heard a squeak from the side of the shed. He paused and listened again, but this time he heard nothing. Slowly, Draco looked around the corner and what he saw both made his heart leap and sink, a strange sensation.

Crouching low in the grass, arms wrapped around his knees, was a small boy no older than ten years old. The boy's eyes widened when he saw Draco and he leapt up from the ground and rushed around the back of the small shed.

Still stunned at seeing the boy he was supposed to kill, Draco walked to the side where the boy was and followed his path. He turned the next corner just in time to see the boy's elbow disappear around the front again. Clenching his teeth, Draco turned and went the other way, almost smacking chests with the outsmarted boy.

In his fright, the boy fell back to the ground. This time he didn't run, didn't try to fight. He simply stared up at Draco fearfully. Whether the boy knew exactly what was coming or not, he seemed to have accepted his fate.

The resolution that Draco had had minutes ago started to dissipate at the frightened look of the boy. _This is me,_ thought Draco. _I was just like him. Hell, I still am him. This is the boy inside of me._

Draco blinked the water out of his eyes and brushed his hair aside. The thunder rumbled again and the boy cringed. His wand was still pointing straight at the boy, whose knees were bent and palms he was leaning back on for support.

Looking back towards the house, Draco searched for some way out of this for both himself and the boy. What he saw though made his heart plummet. Voldemort and Lucius both were standing in the doorway, watching him.

"Kill him!" shouted Lucius angrily. "Do it!"

Draco could hardly hear his father over the roaring of the wind and rain, which Draco noticed was slowly turning to ice with the drop in temperature, but he was able to hear clear enough. One look back at the boy told him what he had to do.

"Forgive me," whispered Draco, his lip trembling and tears forming in his eyes. "Forgive me."

"Avada Kedavara!"

Green light raced out of Draco's wand and collided with the boy's chest. Draco watched, horrified, as the boy's look of terror froze on his face. The light slowly faded from the boy's piercing blue eyes and the strength in his arms receded and ceased to support him. In what seemed like slow motion to Draco, the boy's back sunk into the wet grass, the rain pounding onto him. His arm flopped sickeningly to his side.

Shock numbed Draco's body, not releasing him from its deadly grip. His wand was still in the air, pointing at the boy's dead body, and Draco's mouth was parted. Tears and rain mixed together and ran down his face; Draco didn't even notice them slipping into his mouth. He blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

With a roar, everything seemed to come back to life. All at once Draco was aware of the rain, his wet clothes sticking to his skin, the rough wooden shed with chipping paint that he was standing next to, the lighting cleaving the sky in two, the thunder seeming to pound inside his own heart, the figure of his father and Voldemort starting across the lawn towards him, the thunder, pounding, pounding, pounding…

Draco spun around, finally lowering his wand. With his other hand he pushed the hair out of his face and waited for his two companions to reach him. He looked back at the boy. The boy's eyes were still open, still unseeing, still haunting Draco. Those piercing blue eyes seemed to be watching Draco, watching him, watching, watching…

He shivered uncontrollably, but something told Draco it wasn't from the cold or the wet. This iciness crept from the very center of his being and spread to his very toes. This was some irreversible numbing and that Draco didn't think he'd ever be free from.

"Excellent, excellent," Voldemort said rubbing his hands together slowly. "We'll make a Death Eater out of him yet, Lucius."

Draco felt like the life was being sucked out of him. His breath came in short, desperate gasps, trying to get back something precious he had just lost. Draco looked to his father and saw, for once in his life, what might have been pride. Lucius opened his mouth to say something and he placed his hand on Draco's shoulder, but Draco jerked away as if he'd been burned. His eyes traveled to his father's face, to Voldemort's, and then back to his hands.

His wand.

Draco stared at his quivering hands, at the wand he held in them. With a revolting feeling, he tried to let go of his wand, to drop it and leave it behind, but his hands didn't seem to want to move. They were clenched around his wand in a death grip. Draco tried to loosen them, but it seemed his hands had made up their mind to keep his wand. Draco felt too drained to struggle with it much longer.

Voldemort raised his wand in the air and shouted in the most sinister tone Draco had ever heard, "Morsmorde!" A vision of a skull with a serpent emerging from its mouth flew into the air.

"Let's go," Voldemort said. Lucius's vice-like hand wrapped around Draco's arm and with a crack, they were gone.

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**A/N:** Told you it wasn't cheerful. I actually had a really hard time writing this chapter because I've been building up to it for so long; it had to be just right. And I think it turned out fairly well. What do you guys think?

Also, today is my birthday. And even though it's _my_ birthday, and I'm giving _you guys_ the present, which is this chapter. But you guys can give me a present as well, which would be a review!

Lauren


	28. I’m Still Your Son

Please read my author notes at the end of the chapter. I know that there are tons of them, but they're all important, especially the last one. I'm going to reply to an anonymous review I got from** harrypotterchick4ever.** Normally I wouldn't, but I want to answer those questions. 

Reply to **harrypotterchick4ever** - I don't know quite how many chapters I plan on having or when the story will end. I suppose by now it's past the halfway mark, but it's not close to over yet. And about Draco having to hate the boy to kill him…I was thinking of that while I read it. In the OotP, Harry couldn't perform the Cruciatus curse on Bellatrix. But I don't think he couldn't do it because he didn't hate her. Goodness knows he hated her with all of his heart. The way I'm rationalizing Draco's killing the boy is that he (nor anybody else, for that matter), has to hate the person to kill him. If he has the power and strength enough to do so, then he can kill them without hate. I imagine that not all of the Death Eaters hate the people they kill.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 28: I'm Still Your Son**

Draco collapsed on the floor when he, his father, and the Dark Lord Apparated back to Malfoy Manor. Scrambling to his feet, Draco's eyes darted back and forth between his father, who was staring at the wall, and Voldemort, who was watching Draco carefully.

"I think we are finished here tonight," Voldemort said slowly.

Still wet and trembling, Draco clumsily stood and leaned against the wall. He stared at Voldemort, now unable to take his eyes away from the face he despised with all his being. Those red eyes were gazing into Draco's, holding some sort of promise, some sort of curse. They were glowing, becoming brighter and brighter until they were replaced by two beautiful blue eyes. The new eyes stared accusingly back at Draco, and Draco shrank away in horror.

Without another backwards glance at Voldemort or his father, Draco fled the room. He tore down the hallways, knocking aside a House Elf in his hurry. The doors blurred together as he ran past them. One door at the end of the hallway seemed to stand out from the rest as a beacon, a haven that Draco could lock himself away in.

Draco pushed the door to his bedroom open and rushed inside, slamming and locking the door behind him. He leaned his back against the door and panted. His teeth chattered, both with cold and fear.

_I killed someone,_ was all Draco could think. _I killed another living human being._

_Murderer._

_Murderer._

_Murderer._

The words rung through Draco's mind like bells, harsh and unforgiving.

_Murderer._

_Murderer._

_Murderer._

He clapped his hands over his ears, trying to block out the sound of his own voice uttering the fatal curse that ended the life of one boy whose face would not leave Draco alone.

Draco's wand clattered to the floor and rolled under his bed. The room was dark save for the occasional jolt of lightning that lit the entire room as if on fire. The storm outside was abating, but to Draco, the storm in his own heart was just beginning.

Closing his eyes, Draco willed away the look of the little boy falling lifelessly back into the mud. However, when Draco closed his eyes, the scene only became realer. He opened his eyes and stared dully at the opposite wall, a few beads of water dripping off of his chin. Draco's hair was now plastered to his head, the water slowly trickling down his forehead and into his eyes, but Draco didn't blink.

_I'm a murderer,_ he thought in shock. _I'm no better than a Death Eater._

Part of Draco tried to tell himself that it wasn't his fault, that he would've died if he hadn't killed the boy, but he couldn't. His conscience wouldn't allow it. _I should've died,_ thought Draco. _Long ago I swore I'd do just that rather than become my father._

_I've failed._

Draco tried to swallow past the hard lump in his throat. As a shiver traversed through his neck, his eyes rested on the mirror that was hanging on his wall. Surreally, Draco crossed the room and stared at the mirror hanging at eye-level. For the first time since he had killed the boy, Draco was able to see himself.

His hair stuck to his head and his face was pale white. Draco's lips, which were usually curved into some degree of a smirk, where now lying limply in a straight line. Draco's eyes no longer seemed to hold any traces of life; normally dark and moody, Draco's eyes were now dull and listless.

Leaning closer, Draco stared into his eyes as if he was searching for something. His pupils were large and accusing, staring back at Draco with hatred. Deep within their depths, Draco could see a now-familiar pair of blue eyes gazing at him with fear or pain no longer but now with hatred and unforgiving contempt.

Quaking in his soggy brown shoes, Draco clenched his fists. _It's not my fault!_ he shouted in his mind. The blue eyes stared back at him, driving needles into Draco's soul. _I'm sorry! _he yelled. The eyes looked sadly back at him.

_You'll never be sorry,_ they said. _You'll never be free._

"No!" Draco shouted, slamming his fist into the glass; the haunting eyes disappeared. Shards of piercing, broken glass tore into Draco's fingers, knuckles, and hand. Torrents of pain skittered up Draco's wrist and into his arm, but he didn't even flinch. The pain brought relief from the horror, the grazing, chilling horror of remembrance.

Looking down, Draco saw bits of glass sticking out of his hand. He pulled a rather thick piece out of one of his knuckles and blood start oozing out, inching slowly down the back of his hand. He held his hand up to the window where a tiny stream of moonlight was sneaking through two parted clouds and watched in chilling awe as the blood left a hot trail down his arm.

Draco slid down to the floor amongst the shattered remains of his mirror and rested his back against the wall. Blood leaked from Draco's right hand, which was cradled in his lap, onto his wet clothes.

Closing his eyes, Draco tried to forget what had happened that night. However, it seemed the harder he tried to push that house out of his mind, the realer it seemed. The little boy's face was emblazoned in his mind forever, Draco feared. The boy's brown hair, dimpled face that would never smile again, blue eyes that before must've held laughter, and body that never had the chance to grow into a man. The boy would never experience what it was like to love a woman, to get married and have children, to become an old man and have his grandchildren sit on his lap, to die peacefully in his sleep. Those pleasures had been ripped away from him by Draco Malfoy.

_It's all my fault,_ he thought dully. _If I hadn't even been born, that family would still be living. If I hadn't been born, my mother would have her freedom. _

_It's all my fault._

As if mechanically, Draco felt something shut down inside himself. It was as if his system died and he was just a person without a purpose, a body without a soul. Draco's eyes traveled slowly about the room he had grown up in, had hidden in as a child. The mirror where he had seen the boy's eyes hung before him, now just an empty, broken frame.

Just like Draco.

* * *

For all of the next day, Draco sat up in his room. Not once did he go downstairs for anything to eat; he ignored the rumbling in his stomach. For that entire day, Draco sat dejectedly in the broken glass on his floor. The surrounding area of his hand had turned white from the loss of blood, but when Draco started noticing bits of red streaking up his wrist, he had finally said "Reparo" and gritted his teeth as every little bit of glass in him had wiggled its way out of his arm and reattached themselves to the other broken glass and fitted back in the mirror frame. Fearing that the blood poisoning might become life-threatening –but secretly hoping it would so he could die and forget his pain– Draco had dug through old healing books under his bed for a cure. He had nicked the books from his father's study years ago when he had wanted a way to heal his injuries after his father's tirades. They had come in handy more times than Draco could count.

Though Draco's hand was now healed, he refused to eat. That feat wasn't too hard to manage since no House Elf or human had come to his room since the day before. He spent his time sitting there, stuck between self-pity and self-hatred; Draco didn't know which he liked more.

However, the next morning, the morning of the day that he was supposed to return to Hogwarts, Draco ventured out of his room. Since he hadn't eaten anything since lunch on Christmas day, and it was now the morning of the twenty-seventh of December, Draco was famished.

Having cleaned up slightly, Draco exited his room and walked down to the kitchens. As he walked inside, several House Elves approached him, timidly carrying trays of food. Draco had grabbed a ham sandwich and stuffed half of it in his mouth before one Elf could ask him what it was he wanted.

Draco didn't say one word to the House Elves as he downed two glasses of water and six more sandwiches. Without looking them in the eye, he exited the kitchens and walked back to his room. He felt slightly better with food in his stomach; at least he wasn't so hungry that he felt like he would throw up.

Inside, though, Draco was just as somber as ever. There was only one thing that was able to take his mind off of the little boy, however slightly. That one thing was his mother.

Draco still wasn't sure where he was going to take his mother, but he knew that in half an hour when he left for London, his mother would be with him. He didn't care if he had to smuggle her onto the Hogwarts Express and bring her into Hogwarts, but Draco wasn't going to leave her here. Not this time.

Some tiny part of him, the part that was still rational, told Draco to wait to rescue his mother until he had an actual plan. The other part of him, the part that was destroyed along with one little boy, was just telling Draco to get his mother out now no matter what the cost. He didn't want anything to happen to the one person he had left who just might care. She might not know that she cared, but Draco knew that she did. The letter she had written him four years ago told him that much.

Trying not to think of anything except his current goal, Draco opened his trunk in his room and started half-heartedly packing. He didn't think he'd ever wanted to go back to Hogwarts as badly as he did now. Anywhere would be better than here.

As he put the last few objects in his trunk, Draco reached under his bed and picked up, for the first time since Christmas night, his wand. Draco stared at it and swallowed. How could such a little thing cause so much pain, both to its victim and wielder?

_It's not the wand,_ Draco thought slowly. _It's the unstoppable forces that drive it to the deed for which we condemn the wizard. It's the wizard. It's me._

Shuddering, Draco pocketed his wand inside his robe and started dragging his trunk out of his room. Halfway out the door, he turned and took another look. He was fairly positive that he wasn't missing anything. The ring was still tucked under his shirt, but Draco hadn't given it a second thought since first putting it on; the only reason it was still there was because Draco had forgotten about it.

Draco half-heartedly walked down the hallways and out the front door of Malfoy Manor, loading his things into the trunk of the car. Snow was falling gently from the gray sky above. The air held no traces of wind but was thin and still. Draco's breath came out in a small cloud as he determinedly headed back into the house, his feet crunching on the gravel drive.

Once inside, Draco walked towards his mother's room. He hadn't seen her since the night he'd gotten home from Hogwarts; no doubt his father was keeping her locked in her room, and this only served to stoke Draco's anger. He'd had enough of his father and his Death Eater ways.

With his wand, Draco unlocked the door to his mother's room –locked from the outside– and walked inside. Narcissa Malfoy's room had never lacked either comfort or lavish belongings, but it still held a revolting chill despite the fire blazing in the grate. There was an enormous white bed standing against one wall with a plum-colored canopy hanging over it. There was only one window in the entire room; it rested above a nook in the wall that served as a window seat and looked over the west side of the Manor. Draco remembered this from seeing his mother in the glass bulb. She had been sitting right there.

Narcissa's room was an L-shaped room. Walking around the corner, Draco saw her sitting in a chair in the far corner of the room reading a book. A basket of roses enchanted to live forever hung above her on a chain. Narcissa looked up and for a second Draco saw her eyes grow wide with surprise. In a flash, that look was gone and a relaxed, supercilious one replaced it. Draco wasn't fooled, however; he knew that it was because the Imperious Curse had kicked in.

"Come, Mother," Draco said, going up to Narcissa and grabbing her by the elbow.

"Draco! Draco, what do you think you're doing?" Narcissa demanded, dropping her book in an effort to pry Draco's hand off of her arm.

"We're going for a ride," Draco said commandingly. "Come on."

"No, Draco," Narcissa said, shaking her head. When Draco started pulling her towards the door, she started frantically trying to shake her arm free. Her feet dug into the floor in an effort to slow down Draco.

Exasperated, Draco turned around. "Stop it," he said. "Snap out of it, Mother," Draco said, looking her straight in her light blue eyes.

"Draco, I don't know what has gotten into you, and I certainly don't know what you're talking –"

"I know you're in there," Draco said in a low voice that shook with emotion. He grabbed his mother by the shoulders and leaned closer, staring hard. Her eyes, now frightened, grew wide and stared back. "Come out."

"I – I don't k-know wh-what you're," Narcissa said, her speech becoming slurred. She closed her mouth into a hard line and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She shook her head roughly back and forth.

"Come on," he pleaded, willing for his real mother to appear. Her eyes were locked on Draco's and he could see the battle going on in them. Draco held his breath, waiting to see what would become of it. Her arms were stiff and trembling in his.

Suddenly, her arms went slack and she sunk to the floor. Her hand shakily went to her forehead and she looked around her room and finally up at Draco. Tears formed in her eyes and she whispered breathlessly, "Draco."

Joyously Draco knelt down beside her and pulled his mother into his arms, hugging her tightly. His heart seemed lighter then than it had in days. He stared at the wall behind his mother, his eyes so misted over that he couldn't see anything anyway. He didn't even have the ego or heart to conceal his tears. He'd spent the last few days more emotionally unstable than ever already; a bit more couldn't hurt. Draco could feel his mother's arms tentatively snake around Draco's back and hug him, only to cling fiercely to him the next moment. Narcissa's arms were wrapped around Draco's as if for dear life.

"Draco," she whispered, her voice quavering. She pulled away and looked at him wondrously. Her hands came up and held Draco's face. "My son."

"I found your letter," he said. At this, Narcissa's mouth quivered and she broke down in tears, resting on her knees and burying her face in her hands. Not quite knowing what he did wrong, Draco rubbed her back and remained silent.

"Can you forgive me?" she asked, finally looking up at Draco. "I'm so sorry, Draco," she said sincerely, a few tears still falling from her eyes. "I tried, honestly I did. I never wanted any of this to happen to either of us. I tried to get away. But…but he –"

"I forgive you," Draco said. The words sounded so foreign to his ears that he sat back on his knees in shock. "I forgive you," he repeated, wishing forgiveness would be able to come as easily to himself.

At these words, Narcissa smiled, truly and genuinely. The skin crinkled around her eyes when she did so, proving just how little she ever did smile. In a moment, though, all traces of happiness were gone.

"But Lucius, where is he?" she asked fearfully, her eyes darting around the room. "If he finds you hear, we're both dead."

"It's alright," Draco said, hiding his uncertainty. "He's in his study and has been for the past few days. I'm taking you with me."

"No," Narcissa replied instantly, backing away from Draco. "You can't. He'll find out and come after us. I have to stay."

"No you don't," Draco said angrily, standing up. He cringed when he saw how his mother recoiled from the sound of his anger. More calmly, he stated, "I'm taking you with me to Hogwarts. We'll figure something out then."

Narcissa shook her head. "It won't work. It's too late for me, Draco. I never meant in that letter for you to come after me. I just wanted you to know the truth."

"Well that's not good enough," Draco said. He bent back down in front of his mother and grasped her hands in his. "We can stop this, right here and now. Just come with me. You don't have to worry about Father. I won't let him touch you again."

Her lip trembling, Narcissa looked back at Draco. Her eyes took in his face, his hair, his clothes, everything. "You look just like your father," she said in a voice mixed with fear and admiration. "You've changed, Draco," she said, looking him in the eyes.

Draco looked away for a moment, hoping with all his heart that his mother didn't know what he had done, even though he knew there was no possible way she could know. After a minute he looked back up. "I'm still your son," he said, his voice laced with emotion.

Narcissa smiled again. "You are," she said. "You are _my_ son."

"I am," Draco replied, pulling his mother into a standing position with him, "and that is why I'm rescuing you."

"But Draco –" Narcissa began but her son cut her off.

"No," he said firmly. "Just come on."

"But Draco, wait," she said. Draco stopped.

"What?" he asked.

"I am still under the Imperious Curse," she said slowly. "I can throw it off, but your father has become agitated with you home and has made it even stronger. I do not know how long I can hold it off and if I step out of this room…" she trailed off, trembling. "I don't know if I'm strong enough," she said sadly, turning away in shame.

"Then I'll be strong for the both of us," Draco said. "Come on, we haven't got long. Hampton will be bringing the car around for me shortly. I intend for us to be back at Hogwarts long before Father finds out you're missing."

Shaking her head as if she didn't think it would work, Narcissa followed Draco to the door. "Do you have a wand?" Draco asked his mother.

Narcissa shook her head. "No. Lucius took it away years ago."

Nodding, Draco cautiously opened the door and peered out into the hallways. To the right, the direction he needed to go, there was nothing. To the left, a House Elf was just disappearing around the corner. He looked back into his mother's bedroom at the clock on the wall; there were only five minutes until he needed to be downstairs waiting in the foyer for Hampton to come assist him with his school belongings. That didn't give Draco quite the amount of time he'd been hoping to have, but it would have to do.

"Come on," Draco said, leading his mother out into the hallway. She looked around nervously and kept close to Draco like a frightened puppy. Draco, his wand out and ready, started slowly down the corridor. His ears attentive, his heart beating, and his palms sweaty, Draco swallowed and crept on.

They got downstairs and were walking down another hallway, the foyer at the end of it, when Draco started to believe that they just might make it out. He picked up speed until he and his mother were jogging; they came to a stop in front of the door. Draco opened the door and peered out into the snow. Nobody was in sight, though the snow made it hard to see what exactly was going on out there.

Draco was just about to walk outside when his mother jerked on his arm. He spun around and looked.

"Draco –" Narcissa choked out, her head shaking and eyes pleading with him. She was fighting with all her strength the Curse, which was taking hold of her again. "Draco, I don't think –" She broke off and bent over in anguish, tremors shooting through her entire body.

Just as Draco was looking around nervously, wondering what he should do, a shadow appeared in the open doorway and he heard footsteps coming from outside. He cursed and pulled his mother over to the side, trying to shield her from sight as someone walked inside, brushing snow off of his hair and coat.

"Master Malfoy?" Hampton asked, his hands stopping in mid-brush. "Are you ready to –"

Behind Draco, Narcissa moaned and started pulling on her hair, still fighting not to give in yet lost to her surroundings. Hampton stared.

"But –what is Mrs. Malfoy doing out and about? Oh, Master will not –"

"Quiet, Hampton," Draco hissed, his heart pounding in relief. It was only the butler, not his father. They still had a chance. "Be quiet and listen to me." Narcissa started shaking more violently and Draco sat her on the floor, fearing she might collapse. "I'm taking my mother with me. Is the car ready? Help me bring her out and then let's go. We need to get away before my father comes."

"Master Malfoy will not be pleased," Hampton said fearfully, staring white-faced at Draco. "I do not think it wise that we bring the Mistress with us. I would be in so much trouble; I could lose my position."

Draco thought Hampton would do well to lose his job and get as far away from Lucius Malfoy as possible, but he didn't say that. "Now is not the time to argue," he continued. "She's not staying here anymore with him and Hampton, I swear if you tell anybody about this –" But Draco halted at the look of pure terror on the butler's face and the way he inconspicuously jerked his head towards the back of Draco.

Spinning around, Draco saw Lucius Malfoy coming down the hall. His heart fell. It was over. They were caught. There'd be no rescuing his mother now. Draco would be locked away and never allowed back to Hogwarts. He'd be forced to become a Death Eater. It was all over.

"What is going on here?" Lucius demanded coldly once he reached the three people. Hampton looked down at the ground, his hands clasped before him in fright. Narcissa was now sitting placidly on the floor like a child, a calm, if somewhat haunted, expression on her pale face. Draco stood tall and looked his father in the eye.

"We were just about to leave and Mother came to say good-bye," Draco said. "Then she collapsed. I think she is getting becoming ill, Father."

Lucius Malfoy looked at Narcissa for a long time. During that time, Draco tried to remain calm. He knew that his mother was back under the power of the Imperius Curse and would say nothing now, but once Draco was gone, Lucius would pry the truth from her.

"I will see that she stays in bed for a long, long time, then," Lucius said, harshly dragging his wife up. "Go back to your room, Narcissa," he spat.

Draco watched as his mother walked away without a backwards glance at her son. Lucius glanced at Hampton sharply before turning his gaze to his son. Draco and Lucius Malfoy stared eye to eye for several minutes.

Then, without a word, he turned around and stalked down the hallway towards his study. Though he had said nothing to Draco, the look Lucius had sent him was enough to chill his son's very bones.

Hampton and Draco were left standing alone in the doorway, the cold winter air blowing in on them. For a minute, Draco could only stare at the hallway that his mother had walked down. He had been so close to saving her. They had almost been free.

But Draco had failed.

Again.

He still couldn't stop his mind from reeling in shock from the unfairness of it all. Why had his father picked that moment to come out of his study, after all those days being shut up in it? Why had fate seemed so determined to drag Draco down this holiday? Why did nothing go right for him?

"Let's go," he said sadly, slowly walking out of the Manor. The snow teased his face and Draco blinked his eyes. The black sedan was parked closer than earlier, meaning Hampton had been waiting for him. Still indignant that he had failed, and even more that they had been so close at escape, Draco sat down inside of the car.

Hampton cautiously got inside as well and started backing the car out of the driveway.

"Sir," he said when they were a few minutes down the road. Hampton glanced in the rearview mirror at Draco, who had his arms crossed and was staring stonily at the floor. "Sir, what happened back there?"

"Nothing," Draco replied. He sighed, knowing that that was an inadequate answer, but he didn't want to go further into this discussion. "I didn't mean to threaten you back there," he said, looking up and meeting Hampton's eyes in the mirror. "It's just…"

"Never mind that, Sir," Hampton said. "I know you wouldn't do anything. You're a good person. You're not like your father."

Draco looked down again. _I wish that was true,_ he thought sadly. He didn't have the heart to contradict Hampton, not when Draco had almost gotten him in trouble. "Please don't say anything to him," Draco said, still looking at the floor.

The car was silent for a minute. "I won't," Hampton finally replied. Draco's heart felt slightly lighter, though he knew it wouldn't be long before Lucius found out the truth anyway. His mother was an incredibly strong, brave woman, but he didn't know how long she could hold out against Lucius.

"Thank you," Draco said, looking out the window at the snow-covered grounds that rushed past them.

* * *

"Have fun, Ginny," Molly Weasley called to her daughter as Ginny boarded the Hogwarts Express.

"I will, mum," Ginny called back. "Don't worry."

"And Ron, don't forget to study for your N.E.W.T.S. so that you do well," Mrs. Weasley said to her youngest son.

"Okay," Ron said, climbing on board behind his sister. Ginny had already seen Hermione patrolling the hallways of the train, helping some of the younger students getting settled in their compartments and making sure that the older ones behaved. Ginny walked through the corridor and found a compartment containing only Luna Lovegood halfway down the train's length.

"Hello, Luna," Ginny said, shoving her trunk under the seat and sitting next to the Ravenclaw girl. "How was your Christmas?"

"Very interesting," Luna replied in that dreamy voice of hers that made many people feel uncomfortable. Ginny, as well as her brother and friends, had gotten used to it for the most part. "My father and I spent the holiday up in Sweden and were able to see the migration of the Wrangling Octawanglers."

"Octa-what?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Wrangling Octawanglers," replied Luna, putting aside a copy of the Quibbler. "They're an ancient species first discovered by Philip the Fantastic in 1681. For years wizards thought they were extinct but recently a school of them was discovered up in the Gulf of Bothnia."

"Oh," Ginny nodded, suppressing a smile. She had never heard of one of the creatures that Luna ever spoke of, but there was never any reason that they couldn't exist.

Ginny settled back in her seat and watched as Luna picked up her copy of the Quibbler and started reading it again. Looking at the door, Ginny wondered where Harry had gotten to. It wasn't that she was expecting him; he was probably with his fellow Gryffindor friends. Hermione and Ron would have to patrol the corridor for a while after the train left the station to make sure that everybody was behaving, and then they would probably join Harry in whatever compartment he was in. Though Ginny was used to their company on the train rides, she found herself at the moment enjoying the quiet of just Luna's company.

"That's a pretty sweater," Luna said, looking up from her paper.

"Thank you," Ginny smiled, looking down at the green sweater her mother had made for her. "I got it for Christmas." Mrs. Weasley had smiled when she saw her daughter wear the sweater that morning, but Ginny wasn't wearing it just for her mother's sake; she honestly liked the sweater.

After an hour or so into the train ride, neither Ron, Hermione, Harry, or anybody else had come to their compartment, and Ginny came to the conclusion that they probably wouldn't for the rest of the day. Luna fell asleep rather quickly, her head leaning against the window, the Quibbler slipping an inch or so out of her hands every few minutes, and Ginny soon grew bored with nobody to talk to. She tried to amuse herself for a while by imagining what everybody in her family was doing, but that fast grew tiresome.

Able to stand the boredom no longer, Ginny left the train compartment and walked down the corridor, thankful to stretch her legs. She headed back the way she had come because that was the last place she had seen her friends, but she before she got very far she got stuck behind a large crowd.

Grumbling, Ginny stood on her tip-toes to see over the top of the students in front of her and she was able to see the lady with the trolley busily taking money from students and handing out candy.

"Why is she so busy?" Ginny murmured to nobody in particular. A fourth year girl in front of her answered back without turning around, "A new candy just came out that when you eat it, you taste your favorite food in your mouth for a few hours afterwards." The girl started to turn around. "It was just released by George and Fred Wea – well, by your brothers!" the girl exclaimed. "You're Ginny Weasley!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ginny replied vaguely, wondering why Fred and George hadn't mentioned anything to her about a new product.

"Hey, do you think that you could get me one for free?" The girl asked excitedly.

"Please," Ginny scoffed. "They don't even give_ me_ free things." Ignoring the girl's disappointed look, Ginny tried to push her way through the crowd but apparently they were dead set on getting some of Fred and George's new product, because they wouldn't let Ginny pass at all. When she tried to get past the trolley lady and find her brother and friends, she was rudely pushed to the side against the wall of the train.

Disgruntled and indignant, Ginny folded her arms and waited. She was beginning to wish she was back in the solitude of her compartment, but it was too late for that. The corridor was very crowded and stuffy and Ginny turned around for better air.

It was then that she noticed that the compartment door she was standing in front of contained a person Ginny had grown quite accustomed to over the past few months. Through the tiny window of the door, Ginny saw Draco Malfoy sitting alone on the seat, staring straight at the floor before him. The smile that had appeared on her face disappeared as Ginny saw how terrible Draco looked. His eyes had dark shades under their lids and his face and hair looked as if they hadn't been washed in a few days; the only things normal were his finely pressed clothes.

Worry filled Ginny. What could have happened to him that would've made him neglect his appearance this way? Could something terrible have happened to him? Ginny wasn't even sure that he was aware of his surroundings, because Crabbe and Goyle suddenly pushed past her into the compartment with Draco and he didn't even look up or acknowledge them at all.

Not wanting to be caught staring, Ginny scooted out of view of the window and stood next to the door, pondering what was wrong. Something obviously was. If it hadn't been for his appearance, Ginny would've thought that Draco was just tired, but clearly there was more to it than that. But no matter how much time Ginny and Draco spent together, there was no way she could ask him what it was. Ginny tried to tell herself that she didn't care about it anyway, but the more she thought about it, the more she knew that that was a lie. She did care.

And that frightened her more than anything.

Surreally, the crowd seemed to thin, though Ginny knew not how long that took. Once she was past the trolley lady, the hallway was empty and Ginny was able to quickly make her way down the corridor, peering in the windows to see where her brother was. She soon found Ron, Harry, and Hermione in a compartment. As she entered the compartment, Ron turned and looked at her with a look that clearly said he wanted Ginny to leave, but she just shot him an ugly look and walked up to the group and shut the door behind her.

"Are they sure?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Harry replied, taking a copy of the Daily Prophet out of Ron's hand and looking at it more closely. "And besides, it's right there for everybody to see. It's no joke."

"What is it?" Ginny asked, looking over Harry's shoulder at the paper. He handed it to her and Ginny saw in large print on the headline:

**Christmas Mourning: Muggle's Holiday Interrupted**

"What –" Ginny began, confused.

"Voldemort murdered a Muggle family on Christmas," Hermione said. "Down in Kent. It was just discovered yesterday," Hermione continued sadly. Ginny looked at Harry, who was sitting on one of the benches with an angry look on his face. She knew that ever since their adventure in the Department of Mysteries, Harry had been thinking more and more about his relationship with Voldemort and what would come of it eventually. Ginny was worried for him and how each more attack would affect him, but she picked up the Daily Prophet and began to read.

_The day after Christmas, a Muggle family was discovered murdered in their house in Kent. It is suspected that it is the work of either Death Eaters or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named since the Dark Mark was floating over the scene of the crime. All victims of the raid showed signs of having been killed via the Avada Kedavra, one of the three Unforgivable Curses. (See page 6, Unforgivable.) Muggles showed up at the house the day after Christmas, having seen a "suspicious sign" in the sky and wanting an explanation. Pandemonium broke out and a Ministry team of Obliviators was sent to modify all the memories of Muggle witnesses. Aurors showed up shortly after to search for clues. _

_The Muggles that were murdered were a family of four. Wesley Grant, 37, and his wife of twelve years, Adelaide, 35, had two children. The oldest was Aidan, 9, and the youngest was Sara, recently turned two. One Auror, Morgan Riley, explained that "Both adults and the youngest child were found dead in the upper level of the house, but young Aidan –we had at first hoped he had managed to escape, you see– was discovered lying in the mud near an old shed."_

_Aurors expect to continue searching for the Death Eaters responsible, though there is little hope circulating throughout the Ministry that the culprits will ever be caught…_

Ginny put the paper down, sickened. Being murdered on Christmas was almost too much to fathom.

A chill seemed to sweep through the silent compartment. The noise of happy students in the hallways seemed so out of place that Ginny just wanted to run back to her compartment and forget she had ever left.

"This has to stop," Harry suddenly exclaimed, slamming his fist down on his knee, looking up. "How long will we have to live in fear of him? Something has to be done!"

"Harry," began Hermione consolingly, "Harry, it's not your fault. Don't punish yourself over this. There's nothing you could've done."

Harry looked away. "I know," he said, sub-consciously rubbing his scar. "It's just that as long as I'm sitting here safe and sound, nobody else can live at all. Sometimes I just feel things would be better if…" he trailed off with a look at his friends before him.

"As if what, Harry?" Ron demanded, though something told Ginny her brother already knew what Harry meant, that they'd been through this conversation before.

"Nothing," Harry muttered, glancing at Ginny. Ron looked quizzically at Harry for a moment before looking at his sister.

"Ginny, leave," he said, waving his hands towards the door.

Ginny, glad for a reason to get away, left without a complaint. "Ron, don't tell her to leave," she heard Hermione reprimand her brother as she walked out. Though she was glad that Hermione was willing to stick up for her, Ginny really didn't feel like being with them at the moment anyway.

Not anymore.

By the time Ginny got back into the corridor, most of the students that were clustered around earlier had disappeared. She passed a very hassled-looking trolley woman, but neither females said anything to the other. Ginny swallowed as she passed Draco's compartment, but she refused the temptation to look in.

Ginny spent the rest of the journey in her compartment with Luna, who slept most of the way. Half an hour before they reached Hogwarts, Ginny woke the Ravenclaw girl and they put on their proper Hogwarts attire.

As they were sitting in the carriages traveling up to the castle, Ginny's thoughts flew to what was happening to Neville. Ever since her and Draco's last excursion down into the tunnel and run-in with the strange creature down there, she hadn't thought of going back. Now, however, that Neville was gone, one of her own friends, her ambition was fired up again. She felt a bit braver, though she had no idea where that came from.

She pulled out a bit of parchment from her trunk along with a quill and some ink.

_Malfoy,_

_Meet me down by the tunnel at midnight tonight. We've waited long enough to go back down there and figure out what that thing is._

–_Ginny_

Satisfied, Ginny rolled the letter up and stuffed it in her pocket. She'd mail it after dinner that evening.

It was time to find the truth.

* * *

Dinner that night couldn't end quickly enough for Ginny. After Headmaster Dumbledore's welcome back speech, she started absentmindedly piling a variety of food onto her plate and eating it, all the while concentrating on how she and Draco could possibly outsmart the creature under the castle. Last time they had been unprepared for anything else to be there, so she used that as her excuse of why they had been so easily overpowered. Surely, with the two of them armed and prepared, they could overtake the creature easily enough, or at least sneak past it to see what was further down the tunnel.

Ginny hardly listened to her brother and Harry go on and on about the upcoming Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. She had barely thought to herself _I'll need to go pick up my new broom sometime soon,_ before she tried to stealthily sneak a glimpse at Draco. He was sitting with his back to the rest of the hall, staring straight at his food. Disgruntled that she could only see the back of Draco, Ginny was forced to eat without being able to study him.

As soon as she could make a decent escape, Ginny left her friends, saying that she was tired and wanted to go to bed early. None of them had challenged her; they all seem preoccupied with discussing the recent attacks of Voldemort, all earlier conversation of Quidditch gone.

Ginny headed straight for the Owlry. She had left from dinner early, sure, but Draco had left even earlier. His usual Slytherin cronies were still there stuffing their faces, but he had left. It wasn't unusual for him to do so, however; she'd seen him wander off alone before.

Once in the Owlry, Ginny grabbed one of the school's barn owls. The large tawny owl hooted once after Ginny's letter was attached to its leg before it took off into the cold night air. The snow had finally stopped, much to everybody's delight, and Ginny watched as the owl flew around the castle and towards the Slytherin Tower.

Ginny then left the Owlry and walked back to her own dormitory, satisfied with her work. Most of the students from dinner were starting to mill out of the Great Hall. If she hurried, she could get back up to her room before Ron, Hermione, or Harry found out that she hadn't gone there already.

Scooting in between a group of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, Ginny briskly walked back up to the Gryffindor Tower to find only a few of the younger students in the common room. Happy, she walked up to the sixth year girls' dormitory where her trunk and other belongings were waiting for her.

Ginny sat down on her bed with a sigh. It was good to be back at Hogwarts, but she couldn't help but feel a bit sorrowful. There was one Gryffindor boy who was not back. Ginny was determined to do everything in her power to find Neville, starting that evening when she and Draco went back down into the tunnel.

* * *

Draco looked up vaguely at the window when he heard the tapping of an owl. His first thought was that it was from his father, so he made no move to get up from his bed. He'd left dinner early and was set on falling asleep, falling asleep so that he could forget his current anguish; forget, that is, if he didn't have the nightmares that had been haunting his sleep as of yet.

Draco grumbled as he rolled over and tried to drown out the insistent owl's tapping by burying his head under the pillow. His father could just keep whatever messages he had to himself.

But then a thought struck Draco. His mother. Perhaps his father had found out what Draco was trying to do with Narcissa earlier and was sending some sort of news. Though Draco knew no news from his father was good news, he thought it best that he at least knew what was going to happen.

Reluctantly getting up from bed, he crossed the dormitory and opened the window to see not his father's owl fly in but one of the school's owls. Then he knew at once what this owl brought, and he almost didn't untie the letter, but he did. The owl, sensing, most likely by not being let in sooner, that he would get no sort of congratulating treat, fluttered off, purposefully knocking his large wings into Draco's face as he did so.

After he read Ginny's letter, Draco crumpled it up into a tiny ball and tossed it into the embers of the fire that he had let die out. Climbing back into bed, Draco pulled the covers up to his chin. There was no way he was going to go meet Ginny Weasley this night or any night. It would be better if he severed all contact with her, really.

And besides, it wasn't his fault that students were going missing. Draco frowned. It wasn't his responsibility anymore to sort out the truth…nobody suspected him any longer, not since the Christmas Ball when it was so obvious that the culprit was someone else.

No, it would be much easier to just forget about it. _I already have enough trouble to deal with at the moment, _he thought sadly. _I should be in Azkaban right now. I don't deserve to live. I'm a failure in every sense of the word. I couldn't save my mother and I certainly didn't stand up to Voldemort or my father._

Draco stared at the wall, curled on his side. Involuntarily he started trembling. He had seen the article in the Daily Prophet this afternoon about the family he had helped murder. _Aidan Grant,_ he thought. Now he had a name to put to eyes that haunted him whenever he closed his own. _Aidan. _

Draco swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to ignore the hairs standing on the back of his neck and the insatiable cold that seemed to cling to him shoulders.

* * *

Ginny paced back and forth outside the entrance to the tunnel, waiting for Draco. She had borrowed Ron's watch, which was firmly clasped around her wrist, so that she knew what time it was. She had left the Gryffindor Tower ten minutes ago. Ginny checked her watch; it was now midnight. Draco should be showing up any second.

But the seconds came and went, turning into minutes, and Draco never showed. Ginny stopped her pacing and frowned as she checked the watch. Yes, it was still working, but now it was half past twelve 'o clock and there was nobody standing in the dark hallway except Ginny Weasley.

_Where is he?_ She thought angrily, standing with her arms crossed staring down the corridor. _I told him midnight…why hasn't he shown up? Maybe the owl got lost?_

That hope was squashed though. Hogwarts owls were trained not to get lost, to deliver their message. Draco would for sure have gotten the note. The only reasoning Ginny could come up with was that Draco had simply decided not to come.

Her mind racing with confusion and disappointment, Ginny finally gave up and walked slowly back to the common room. She had been so eager to confront the monster down there, whom she was convinced was the key to the person stealing the students if not the person itself, but now she would have to wait. Tomorrow she would send Draco another note. He couldn't refuse twice, could he?

That's what Ginny kept telling herself all throughout the next day. She didn't see Draco at all, not during meals or in the hallways, but she kept thinking that she was just always missing him. That night she wrote another letter.

_Malfoy,_

_Look, I don't care why you didn't show up last night, but come tonight, same time, same place. If you don't show up, I'll just go by myself._

_Ginny_

In her determination, she had tied the letter to the owl's leg a bit tighter than she'd meant to, and that resulted in her receiving a bite on the hand before the owl flew out of the Owlry.

"Bloody owls," Ginny muttered, sucking the blood off of her thumb as she walked back to the Gryffindor House to hopefully get a few hours of sleep before midnight came.

But midnight came and went once again with no sight of the Slytherin boy. Ginny, her hands clenched at her sides in anger, stomped over to the tunnel and ripped the door open, her wand drawn and lit so that she could see.

_I won't let him ruin my plans,_ she told herself, viciously kicking a rock aside. _Just because he's being a baby doesn't mean I can't do this myself._

Ginny swore as she walked through a cobweb, stopping to brush the sticky string out of her hair. She closed her eyes for a moment, willing her temper to die down, before she continued on.

This time as Ginny walked through the tunnel, she barely paid any attention to her surroundings; she was too intent on her current mission. Before she knew it, she came to the curve in the path that signified where the secret tunnel began.

Ginny halted, anger and embarrassment flooding her senses. _The stone,_ she thought, groaning. There was no way for her to get down the real tunnel now. She needed the stone to place in the ground to activate whatever magic it was that controlled the hidden tunnel, but Draco had the stone, and Draco was stubbornly refusing to meet Ginny.

Grinding her teeth, wondering what exactly she was supposed to do now, Ginny stood there, her wand shining light on the rock wall before her. She felt stupid. Draco was probably up in his room laughing his heart out over Ginny, thinking her a complete fool for forgetting about the stone.

Ginny spun around and stomped back up the tunnel, her face set in a hard line and her cheeks red with embarrassment. By the time she got out of the tunnel, she was so angry that she felt like marching into the Slytherin House and hexing Draco into next week. In addition, she felt like hexing _herself_ into next week, being so ignorant and headstrong as to forget exactly why it was that she needed Draco to go with her.

When she got back to her room, Ginny got into bed as quietly as she could, wondering why in the world Draco wasn't showing up. For a moment she remembered the way he had been sulking in his compartment on the Hogwarts Express, and she wondered if what had happened to him over the holiday had somehow affected him more than she had originally thought.

_Even so,_ thought Ginny, turning onto her side, _he could've at least written back and said he wasn't coming so I don't look like an idiot. Or he could give me the stone._

Fuming at the blonde-haired Slytherin boy, Ginny fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

Weeks passed. Ginny hadn't forgiven Draco yet, but she didn't have much time to be mad at him either. January was almost over and the teachers were starting afresh with the new semester, laying the homework on them thick.

But despite the amount of work Ginny had to do, she never stopped thinking about how much she wanted to get back to what she considered the real work. The longer she was unable to get into the tunnel, the more she wanted to go. She had only seen Draco at a few of the meals, and only once in the halls since coming back from Christmas. Ginny couldn't for the life of her figure out why he was being so reclusive, but every day she grew angrier and angrier.

She had written him a few more notes, the first one being particularly unpleasant, but in the others she had been a bit nicer, asking if he would please give her the stone. She never received an answer, and Draco never even looked at her in the Great Halls as if he had ever gotten a letter from her before in his life. It was as if he had suddenly decided that she didn't exist anymore. For that matter, it was as if he had decided that nobody else existed either. She never saw him talk to anybody anymore, and from what she had overheard from Ron and Harry, he was failing Transfiguration and Herbology, much to their delight.

When she was in a few of her calmer moods, Ginny worried about him. In her six years at Hogwarts, she had never seen him like this. But then indignation would return at the humiliation she had suffered and her avid dislike of him returned.

In addition, she had seen two of the school governors walking around the lake outside with Dumbledore, the three of them discussing something, a few days ago. Ginny had a nasty feeling that she knew why there were there, too. Neville Longbottom had been missing for nearly a month now. Surely the Ministry and school board would've been notified. Ginny remembered back in her first year when there had been a threat of the school closing because of the basilisk and the attacks, but thankfully everything had been resolved before those drastic measures were taken. Ginny didn't want the school to be closed again. Albert Harding and Trent Johnson had been questioned by the governors, but they had been unable to yield any information. Realizing that there was little that they could do, they had left the school. Dumbledore had assured them that he was doing everything in his power to figure things out, and the board held a high respect for Albus Dumbledore now, so thankfully they hadn't said when or if they'd return.

One thing that was able to take Ginny's mind off of things was Quidditch. She had picked up her new broom from Hogsmede the weekend after they had returned. It had been a hard time talking Harry and Ron, and Seamus, Dean, Colin, and Dennis, for that matter, out of accompanying her on that trip to Hogsmede. All of the team seemed to be eager to see her new broom. But Ginny knew that there would be questions from the president of Quidditch Supply Plus about why Draco Malfoy, the real winner, had given up his prize; she couldn't have anybody else knowing that. Ron had protested when she told him to stay behind and asked why he couldn't come, but Ginny had said she also had "girl things" to do beforehand. Ron had looked at her questioningly for a moment, not seeming to understand what she meant. When Ginny had opened her eyes wide for dramatic effect and nodded her head slowly, Ron had suddenly seemed to get it. He had recoiled from Ginny as if she were a monster, a horrified look on his face as his whole face became red. He had glanced a few times at Harry and the other members of the team before embarrassedly walking off. Ginny had laughed about it the whole way to Hogsmede.

And with the addition of the new broom to the team and the dispersal of the old school broom, which the entire team had celebrated, they had won their next two matches, one against Ravenclaw and one against Hufflepuff, putting Gryffindor in first place for the Cup. Slytherin had fallen into last place. Their Seeker, Draco Malfoy, had been absent for most of the games, only showing up for one in the past four. This had caused the fate of the game to rely solely on the Slytherin Chasers to score more than one hundred fifty points before the other team caught the Snitch, something they hadn't yet accomplished.

Ginny was walking back from the Owlry late one night, having had to send a letter to her mother telling her how the latest Quidditch game had gone –her mother loved to see how her two youngest children were doing on the team as well as in school– and she was trying to get back before curfew. The staircase that she usually took to get from Gryffindor Tower to the Owlry had moved and was stuck in a position where nobody could use it, so she was forced to take a very long, very cumbersome detour around the whole castle.

Just as Ginny was brushing a bit of owl droppings from the shoulder of her robe, she saw a head of white-blonde hair disappearing around the corner ahead of her. Her heart leaping, she sped up and flew around the corner.

"Oi!" she shouted, and the person turned around. It was Draco. "What are you doing out here?"

"Coming back from a detention," he said wearily. Ginny was about to open her mouth but stopped when she noticed just how much worse Draco had gotten. His eyes looked hollow and dead, their former grey brightness now reduced to a dull color that was frightening to behold. His face and rest of his body seemed much thinner than before, making Ginny suspect that Draco was skipping meals. His hair was clean yet un-brushed and sticking about oddly.

"Where have you been all these weeks?" she demanded, some of her earlier anger dissipating at his ragged appearance. "Why did you never show up down there and why haven't you been answering my letters?"

Draco looked at her for a long moment before he shrugged his shoulders. Ginny stared at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"Nothing," Draco replied as emotionless as ever.

"Well –" sputtered Ginny, trying to be mad at him. She had mentally chastised and argued with him for almost a month now, coming out of the spats victorious. Now, however, all of the things she had wanted to say to him seemed to have run away. "Well, why didn't you show up?" she repeated, feeling embarrassed once again.

"I didn't feel like it," Draco said.

"Didn't feel like it?" Ginny asked incredulously. "Why not?"

"I had a bad holiday," he said, his gaze removing from Ginny's so that he looked at the ground. Ginny stared at the top of his head angrily.

"You…had a bad…holiday," she repeated slowly. "You had a bad holiday." Draco's head lifted slightly, but his eyes still rested on the ground. "A bad holiday? That's why you've been ignoring me?" Ginny asked louder, her temper rising. "Look, I don't know what happened to you to make you so bitter, but stop feeling sorry for yourself and –"

Ginny was cut off by Draco's hands closing around her throat as she was slammed against the stone wall. Stars erupted in her eyes as her head smacked the wall behind her; she saw a blurry shadow of Draco's head orbiting about his real one. Ginny was distinctly aware of his body pressing up against hers and the feel of his breathing heavily on her face, but his hands tightened even further around her neck and she gasped, trying get some get some air.

"Shut up," Draco said roughly, giving her a little shake. "You don't know the first damn thing about what you're talking about, so just shut up," he finished hoarsely. Ginny tried to pry his hands off of her neck but his grip was as hard as metal. "I think," he continued, his hands tightening even further, "that if you found out your mother was under the Imperius Curse your whole life and _that's_ the reason why she never loved you, you'd be entitled to a little pity. And if the only person that the pity came from was yourself, then I think you'd take it." Ginny stopped struggling and fearfully looked Draco in his eyes, where she saw equal fear, hatred, and unrestrained power.

Black spots appeared before Ginny's vision and she closed her eyes, now fervently trying to pry Draco's hands off of hers. "And if," Draco began again, his grip loosening slightly, "and – and if your father and –" his voice shook as well as his hands around Ginny's neck. "And if your – your father and –" he looked away, unable to continue on. A strange buzzing was filling Ginny's ears, and surreally the thought that she was about to pass out went through her mind. Draco looked back up at her with a renewed anger in his eyes, but something told Ginny that the anger was not directed at herself.

Abruptly Draco removed his hands from Ginny's throat and he took a few steps back. Ginny sank to her knees, taking in several deep breathes. She rested her head against the wall behind her and warily looked up.

Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out the stone that Ginny had wanted to see for the past month. He threw it on the floor near Ginny's feet and said, "Go solve your own damn mystery." Then he turned swiftly and continued walking on without another word back at Ginny.

For several minutes, Ginny sat there in the dark, her head leaning against the cool wall. She willed the beating of her heart to subside and her head to clear of the fuzziness. When she could breathe normally, she picked up the stone and looked at it. Never before had he become so violent. Or at least, she had never seen him so violent. Her throat still ached where his hands had closed about it.

_Maybe I went a little far,_ thought Ginny as she gingerly stood up. She contemplated what to do next. The rational part of her told her to go back to her room and forget what had happened tonight, but the other part of her was scared. And sometimes when one is scared, something even more frightening is needed to chase away those fears.

So Ginny did what she had wanted to do a month ago and started down the tunnel.

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**A/N: **Ok, I like I said earlier, I have quite a few author notes. So please be patient and read through all of them.

We'll start with small stuff. In the newspaper article that they were reading, the headline, that's not a typo. It's not supposed to be "Morning", as in 'get up early in the morning,' but as "Mourning", like you're going to a funeral and there's lots of mourning for the person that died. It's because newspaper articles always have a catchy headline, and I thought this was, sort of, so I don't want you guys to think it was a typo and was boring.

Another thing, just so you guys are clear on this…Draco's not being haunted by the ghost of the boy. I know sometimes in this chapter it sounds like he's being haunted, but it's just his conscience.

Also, a while back when I was writing previous chapters, I ran away with too much plot. You see, my little plot bunnies got a little over-excited and ended up chewing more carrots than they can digest, and now I'm paying for it. So a few of the past chapters are going to undergoe a re-write so I can fix some things.

And I'm moving soon, so there will be a time period of 1-2 weeks where I won't be able to write at all. I'm going to try getting up 1, maybe 2 more chapters before I move in addition to having one written beforehand so that when I get all settled in, I can post one right away. I'm just giving you a forewarning.

_**PLEASE READ!**_ Ok so if there is one author note I want to be read, it's this one. So I bolded it to catch any of you readers who may have been skimming. Anyway, in this chapter, there is a line that I used in another chapter. It's the same exact line, and it's only used in these two chapters. Now, the two situations it's used in (one in here, one in a previous chapter) relate to each other. Not relate in the sense that it's important to the plot, but in an analytical sense. See, in the situation in a previous chapter, the meaning is literal. In this chapter, where that line is concerned, it's figurative.

Now you may be wondering why I'm telling you this…I'm going to give you guys a chance to "compete" for a prize. Well, two prizes, really. See, I want you guys to try to find what line I'm talking about, the one that's in this chapter and also in a previous chapter. Whoever can find that line and leave me your answer in a review, (must be a signed review, I'm afraid), I'll reply to that review and give you "directions" on how to find this truly amazing bit of Ginny/Draco fan art that I came across. And you must also tell me what other chapter this line was used in. Not that hard if you figure out what the line is.

And the second prize. Whoever can give me the line, and then also tell me the analysis involved, (meaning, how the two situations relate to one another, one literal, the other figurative), will get not only the directions to the picture, but also a chapter dedication. Yes, I will dedicate the next chapter to whoever tells me the analysis. Even if more than one person guesses it, I'll give it to both.

Ok, now I hope that didn't confuse you. Recap:

One small line is used in this chapter that was also used in a previous chapter. In the previous chapter, the situation that it's in is literal. In this chapter, the situation that it's in is figurative.

Whoever tells me the line and what other chapter it came from gets directions to an amazing picture of Draco and Ginny.

Whoever tells me the line and then also the correct analysis of the situation (doesn't have to be really long, can be really simple) will have the next chapter dedicated to them as well as the picture.

I'll give you a few hints about the line, because although it seems fairly simple to me (but that's because I wrote it…) it may be harder for you.

_**Hint 1:**_ The line isn't a line that anybody speaks _in either chapter._

_**Hint 2:**_ It is not a long line. Less than 5 words, more than 3 words.

**Hint 3:** In both situations, the line is a scene from Draco's POV.

**Hint 4:** I'll go ahead and tell you which chapter the other line was used in. It was back in chapter 22. But that doesn't mean it'll be easy to find...22 is so far my longest chapter.

Now about the picture…I found it when I was surfing through the internet. It is a truly amazing picture. Well, technically it's two pictures. They are two links (one of Draco, one of Ginny) right next to each other, so you have to open them up separately, but they are so life-like and so beautiful. I am in awe of the person who drew them. And who knows, maybe it's even one of you. And you may have already seen it before. But it's amazing and I want to share it with you. I promise, it's not a bad picture. No naked people or anything.

Wow this is turning out longer than I wanted it to. I don't think many of you will have a hard time finding the line, not with the clues I gave you, but the analysis may be a bit trickier. Good luck!

And don't forget to review. You're rewards depend on it.

And please note that it must be a signed review. Even if you've never reviewed before, I'll still give it you to. But I can't respond to an anonymous review, and I'm sorry about that.

Lauren


	29. Down Once More

Hey guys…I'm so sorry for the long wait. I had final exams to study for and take, and then other stuff to do. Plus, I had major writer's block on this chapter. And finally this morning, when all I had written in this chapter was a few paragraphs, I locked myself in my closet and I didn't come out until I had a solid plan. And I wrote pretty much all of this chapter today. I was planning on waiting till tomorrow to update, since it's getting pretty late tonight, but I figure you guys have waited long enough. This chapter isn't quite as long as I would like, but it'll do. Happy reading! 

And congratulations to all of you who tried answering my little "quiz" thing last chapter. Ya'll are good. Though I have to admit to myself, I wish I hadn't put all those clues in. I think I made it too easy. Next time, if there's a next time, I'll do it differently. But hey, I'll call this a learning experience. I just like getting you guys involved in the story a bit.

Disclaimer: How about you guys pretend I come up with something clever here instead of my just saying that I don't own any of this? There you go…

To **vampnykole,** **Adalee Bishop,** **Lote22,** **GodessOfTheNight29, **and **xoxokatrinaxoxo,**  
for being brave and clever enough to decipher one crazy author's attempt at novelistic composition.

**Chapter 29: Down Once More**

Ginny stumbled along down the passage, her wand lighting the way, the stone clutched in her left hand. Unwanted tears came to her eyes. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know whether to be mad at herself for provoking Draco or mad at Draco for hurting her. Funnily enough, she wasn't that mad at Draco. Rather, she was disappointed, scared even. She had just begun to feel more comfortable around him and then something like this happens.

She wondered what had happened to him over Christmas. Most likely it had been something to do with his father. Ginny had also heard Draco say that his mother was under the Imperius Curse. Ginny shivered. She didn't know what she would do if she found out that her mother was under the Imperius Curse for all of her life. And what had Draco also been saying? Something about his father, but Ginny hadn't been able to hear much after a while because her lungs felt like they were about to pop apart.

Soon Ginny reached the curve in the tunnel where the hidden passage was hidden. Upset by the lone tear that trickled out of her eye and wondering why she was even crying, Ginny knelt down and started feeling around for the dent in the ground that she knew the stone fit into. She found it after one scraped finger and several dirty fingernails and paused.

Some part of her was telling her to turn back, to not go any farther. She was tired and her emotional state was hampering her logical and rational senses, but Ginny didn't want to go back into the castle. Going back up would only confirm that tonight hadn't been a dream and was real.

Besides, by going down into the tunnel, Ginny was actually doing something. She was convinced now that Draco wasn't the culprit, but she still wanted to know who it was. Whoever said "Curiosity killed the cat…"

…Obviously never met Ginny Weasley.

Before she could change her mind, Ginny stuck the stone into the hole. At once a loud humming filled the tunnel and a ferocious wind whipped up. Ginny bent over and covered her face, waiting for the tunnel's transformation to finish. After a minute or so, the wind and humming subsided and Ginny looked up. Where there used to be stone was now a new tunnel, leading downward steeply.

Ginny allowed herself a grim smile and started down. Her mind was still clouded with shock, therefore, she was paying little attention; several times she stumbled on loose rocks and only saved herself from falling completely by grabbing onto the stone wall of the tunnel. The light from her wand was barely enough to cut a path through the darkness.

Ginny wasn't sure of how long it took her to get down, but she soon was in the large cavern, standing near the edge of the lake. Her eyes traveled to the opposite side of lake towards the overhang over which she new stood a monster, something set to guard the tunnel that traveled even further beyond. She swallowed and started around the side of the lake.

Putting all thoughts of Draco out of her mind was tough, but Ginny knew she had to concentrate. An unwanted image of Draco flying backwards unconscious and falling into the lake filled her mind and she cringed and shook her head forcefully. A shiver traveled from her shoulders into her arms and Ginny stopped walking. _Perhaps I should turn back, _she thought uncertainly. She looked back over her shoulder at the tunnel leading up into darkness and then faced forwards again with a resolute sigh. This wasn't the time for turning back. A vision of Albert Harding, Trent Johnson, and Neville Longbottom filled Ginny's mind and her face hardened. She started towards the overhang now with strong steps, her wand out and clenched tightly, and a grim look on her face.

"Fluoneros," Ginny said at the foot of the rock hanging over her head, recalling the clever charm Draco had used last time they were here. With the cavern now lit up, Ginny no longer had to use the Lumos charm and could concentrate much better on the creature. When Ginny muttered "Wingardium Leviosa," and performed the necessary wand movements at herself, she rose slowly into the air. Her eyes instantly settled on the monster that was still standing in the same entrance as last time. She took the spell off herself then and stood anxiously looking at the creature. Its eyes were once again a shocking shade of lime green that sent fresh shivers rippling throughout Ginny.

For several seconds Ginny stood there looking at it, wondering if it would charge her like it did last time. When the creature just continued to stare at her in that eerily curious look it had, Ginny became even more nervous. Her first thought would be to Stupefy the thing, but she remembered how that had turned out for Draco last time. Her brows creased. Why would the creature be able to stand the curse without any affect on itself?

Ginny warily raised her wand and took a deep breath. "Immobulus!" shouted Ginny. She watched breathlessly for any signs of the creature being affected by the curse which should immobilize it, but it merely smiled at her. Ginny's eyes widened as she saw the creature raise his closed fist which was glowing with something that Ginny realized in horror was the curse she had just shot at it.

Knowing what was about to come, Ginny had time to shout "Protego!" The spell reflected off the magical shield that her second charm had constructed and zoomed away harmlessly through the air.

Ginny stared in wonder. Only powerful magic could withstand spells like that. Either the creature had powerful magic, or else there was something else about it that Ginny didn't know of. Truth be told, she hardly knew anything about it.

Hopelessly Ginny looked at the monster standing before her. Anxiety was playing with her nerves and Ginny was now thinking she shouldn't have come. If anything went wrong, Draco was the only one who knew where she was, and something told her that he wasn't coming back.

Ginny wracked her mind for some spell or jinx that might work better than the others. So far nothing was working. Nervously Ginny started backing up, putting more distance between herself and the monster. She raised her wand and, trying to steady her voice, shouted "Petrificus Totalus!"

She was ready with the _Protego_ charm as the spell predictably flew back at her. As Ginny watched the charm go flying away as her first one had, she dishearteningly stood still, her wand hand lowering. She looked around herself nervously. Behind her, just a few steps back, was the overhang she had just climbed over, and in front of her, behind the creature, was the tunnel that continued on into darkness. The overhang traveled both to Ginny's left and right around the wall of the cavern, sloping ever so slightly to the ground as the stone curved all the way around the other side of the cavern, melting into the ground roughly ten feet from the opening of the tunnel Ginny had traveled down. Ginny's eyes shifted back towards the monster and she couldn't suppress a shiver.

Ginny was just about to make a run for the ramp-like structures when with a sudden spurt of speed, the monster started charging towards her. Quick as lightning, Ginny dashed to her left and ran as fast as she could down the rock wall, her eyes wide with fear and her heart hammering in her chest. She could hear the creature pounding after her, could feel the vibrations of its heavy steps underfoot.

Ginny risked a glance over her shoulder just as she was passing the halfway point of the cavern and saw with dismay that the creature was gaining on her. Ginny had never been a slow runner, but after her first burst of adrenaline whenever she first started running, she usually tired quickly. Already Ginny's breath was coming raggedly and she could feel a stitch form in her side.

When Ginny could smell the foul breath of the creature, she leapt off of the descending overhang and dropped about four feet to the ground; the shock of the impact jarred her ankles, sending a sharp twinge through her, but Ginny turned and ran the way she had just come, this time on the ground. The ground shook heavily as the beast too jumped over the side and came crashing after Ginny. The girl's fear rose several notches as she saw the cavern's lake edges getting ever closer; she was running out of room.

In her desperation, she stuck her wand over her shoulder and without looking cried, "Stupefy!" Her eyes then grew wide in horror at what she had just done and, almost slipping in the lose gravel, Ginny wildly spun around, ready to shout the shield charm.

Before she even opened her mouth, her own curse came flying back at herself, ricocheted by the monster at which the curse had been intended for. The inertia of Ginny's quick turn, added by the strength of the curse as it hit her chest, caused Ginny to fly backwards several feet, landing unconscious in the shallows of the translucent lake.

* * *

Draco paced back and forth down a dark corridor, his fists clenching and unclenching in anger at his sides. His hands twitched with the urge to break something. At the moment, he felt like sending his very head through the wall; maybe it would lessen the anger and dread that he was feeling. It was taking him a lot of will not to take out his wand and snap it in half, just to feel something breaking.

_What did I just do?_ he thought angrily, running his hand through his hair. He had threatened Ginny Weasley and almost hurt her seriously; she probably hadn't known how angry she had been making him. As they had been talking in the hallway, her words had awoken the fury deep within himself that had laid dormant for almost a month. Draco had almost lost himself to that anger and forgotten that Ginny didn't know that was causing him so much pain. When he had realized what he was doing, Draco's anger had only increased, but it was anger then at his father and Lord Voldemort; they were the ones to blame for Draco's acting the way he had.

They…and Draco himself.

Draco stopped walking then and leaned against the wall. Ginny Weasley, one of the few people who treated him as if he were someone other than a Death Eater, probably hated him now. True, Draco had been ignoring her since they had come back to Hogwarts from Christmas break, but that was only because Draco was afraid that something bad might happen. But in eluding Ginny, he had only brought about that which he sought to avoid. Draco shook his head wearily.

She had wanted the stone so she could go back down into the tunnel. Draco had purposefully not been giving it to her for the reason that he wanted to forget everything down in the tunnel. Neville Longbottom would be returned eventually; all of the other boys had. In the mean time, the creature under the castle could just stay there. It was too dangerous to pursue it further. Draco recalled with vivid detail almost drowning and finding Ginny laying half-conscious on the rocks.

Yet Draco had given it to her anyway and who knew what kind of danger she was in at the moment. Draco sighed. He knew he had to go after her. His conscience wouldn't allow anything else, and maybe if Draco did go after her, he could right some of the wrong that he had caused. One thing he was learning from all that had happened recently was that life was brief and time passed quickly. Hurts left to heal themselves often never did.

Draco started back down the hallways towards the tunnel door. Halfway there he broke into a run, urged on by some sense of urgency. His heartbeat thumped against his chest in time to his footsteps and a steely cold brushed over Draco.

When Draco got into the tunnel, he tore down the passageway, his wand lit and held high over his head for as much light as possible. He saw that the stone he had given Ginny was indeed stuck in the ground and the secret tunnel was revealed. Draco leapt over rocks as he rushed down the steep slope, but after he fell once and landed hard on his side, bruising his elbow and cutting his forehead just above his eye, he was forced to go more slowly and pick a clearer path.

In what seemed like a very short amount of time, he came to the end of the secret tunnel and he slowed down, surveying the cavern before him with caution. His eyes immediately traveled to the person he was seeking.

On the opposite side of the cavern, the still form of Ginny Weasley was being dragged out of the water by the cave monster. Draco watched as Ginny was hauled into the air and roughly thrown onto the cliff overhang above them. The creature then pulled itself up to stand next to Ginny's body. It hauled Ginny over its shoulder and started off towards the tunnel that it guarded. Ginny's hand was limply bouncing against the creature's back.

Hurriedly, Draco rushed across the cavern as quietly as he could. He saw that the cavern was lit up with the same spell that he had used last time. Draco scrambled over the rock and stood on top of the overhang; the monster was carrying Ginny down into the tunnel and into darkness; already their forms were starting to disappear. With a look over his shoulder, Draco followed them, his wand at his side.

The new tunnel was thinner than the last one; if Draco spread both his arms out, he could touch both walls, which we damp. The boy was being as quiet as possible and he tried to avoid stepping on clumps of rocks, but as the light from the cavern behind them was permeating less and less into the tunnel, it became harder for him to see them. A few times he thought that the creature ahead surely must hear him, but it must've been too preoccupied with its mission, whatever that mission might be. Draco couldn't think of why it would want Ginny, but he was going to find out wherever they were going.

His former trepidation of going back down under the school had long since been replaced by excitement of what was happening. He suddenly grinned. Ginny was getting down the tunnel that she wanted down, just not in the way she probably had imagined. His humor abated when he thought of Ginny. Was she dead or just unconscious? Draco hoped with all his heart that it was the latter. If she was dead, it was his fault. She had more than likely been unsettled by his actions when she came down here and hadn't been thinking clearly, which may be part of the reason for her being capture.

Nearly causing Draco to lose his balance, the tunnel started to slope upwards. The dark was complete now; the light from the cavern was gone and Draco couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. The only way he knew that the creature was still ahead of him was because he could hear its feet crunching over the small rocks.

Then the tunnel was leveling out and they were once again traveling over smooth stone; there was no more gravel, but several large rocks were resting against the tunnel walls. Draco blinked as he saw a pinpoint of light far ahead of them and he could see the outline of the monster, Ginny still over its shoulder, only twenty feet before him. Draco was a bit surprised that the creature was still oblivious to him, but he wasn't about to complain. The light continued getting closer until the tunnel was fairly bright. Draco dropped farther back to limit the chances of the monster seeing him or his shadow, but still Draco felt exposed.

Abruptly the monster halted and Draco threw himself behind a large rock to his right. The Slytherin tried to mask his heavy breathing and he strained his ears, listening for anything that might tell him what was going on. The cavern was light enough for Draco to see if he looked, but he didn't want to risk it. He could hear metal clinking on metal and Draco's curiosity perked. He fingered the wand in his hand impatiently.

Then everything went quiet. Draco was just about to peer around the rock he was hiding behind but sudden footsteps made him push himself even further out of sight. He realized that the footsteps were continuing on in the direction that they had been going but Draco's heart kept thumping.

After several minutes, the footsteps grew so soft that Draco couldn't hear them anymore. He waited another minute before he cautiously looked around the corner, his wand ready. His heart both leapt and fell at what he saw.

Ginny Weasley was sitting on the opposite side of the tunnel, her back resting against the wall and her hands raised on either side, chained to the wall. Her head was lolled in front of her and her red hair hung in front of her, creating mask that hid her face from sight. Draco's eyes scanned the cave but the monster was nowhere in sight. He scrambled out from behind the rock and rushed over to kneel in front of Ginny.

The first thing Draco did was check to see if she was still breathing, and to his immense relief, he found that she was. As his wild heart rate slowly started returning to normal, he brushed her hair, which he noticed was wet, out of her face and her head moved slightly at his touch. His gaze wandered to her wrists, which were hanging limply from manacles that sank deep into the stone wall behind the girl. His brows furrowed.

"Ennervate," Draco said, his voice barely above a whisper. He watched as Ginny's eyes fluttered open and she looked around her. Finally her eyes found Draco's and the boy could see the fear plain on her face. Her bottom lip was trembling and her face was pale; her hair, still wet from the lake, was hanging around her face.

For several long moments the two just stared at each other, both at a loss for words. Then Ginny broke the silence by asking shakily, "Where are we?"

"Down the tunnel that thing guards," Draco answered. Ginny's eyes traveled about the tunnel and Draco answered her unspoken question. "It left."

Ginny looked down at her lap. Her right leg was folded under the rest of her body and the other leg was bent towards her left, a position that Draco couldn't imagine was comfortable, but Ginny wasn't complaining. For a while, Ginny wouldn't look at Draco and the latter merely looked at the top of the girl's head.

When she looked up, Draco saw a single tear slowly making its way down her cheek. He reached up and without really thinking, he brushed it away with his thumb. He felt Ginny flinch slightly at his touch, but he didn't take his hand away. Draco merely looked at her, continuing to rub his thumb slowly over her wet cheek even though the tear was gone. Her brown eyes were open wide and stared up at him, stunned. He tucked a strand of wet hair hanging in between her eye and nose behind ear and looked down before he cracked a grin.

"Evanesco," he said, pointing his wand at the chains holding Ginny to the stone. The chains disappeared and Ginny let her hands fall to her lap. Ginny's eyebrows furrowed and she stared up at Draco, whose grin disappeared.

"You're bleeding," she said, frowning and reaching her hand up to brush away the blood that was above Draco's right eye. Draco blinked as her hand wiped at the blood and he wondered for a moment why he was bleeding. Then he remembered how he had fallen in his haste down the tunnel.

"Come on," Draco said, clearing his throat. He grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her to her feet. "We have to get out of here before it comes back."

* * *

Ginny didn't offer any argument. Numbly she followed Draco down the tunnel she didn't remember coming down. She was, however, aware that his right hand was still holding her left hand. Her mind was still reeling from everything that had taken place. She had accidentally Stupefied herself which ended up in the cave monster taking her down the tunnel she had been trying to get into, and she had woken up to find Draco Malfoy kneeling down in front of her. Hardly an hour ago Draco had been choking her and just now he had brushed away her tears. The whole thing was so insane and unreal that Ginny felt like laughing, but she didn't have the energy to. She just let herself be led along by the hand like a child.

Draco was walking quickly through the tunnel and though Ginny had been dying to get down here for the past month, she was hardly able to take in any of their surroundings. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the light disappearing. Draco had pulled out his wand and the tunnel was lit up slightly.

"Do you have your wand?" Draco asked.

Ginny started to pull her hand out of Draco's and when he sensed the movement, he dropped her hand as if it had burnt him. Ginny fumbled around in the pockets of her robe for her wand but she couldn't find it. "I don't have it," Ginny said. She shifted her feet uncertainly. Ginny wanted her wand badly but she did not want to go back from where they had just come from to get it.

"Well…" Draco trailed off, "I'll bet that it's back out there." He pointed in the direction they were heading and started walking that way again. "Come on," he said. Ginny followed him, hoping he was right.

One question that was begging to be asked was why Draco had come back for her. If he had been so angry at her only moments before, why had he come back? Ginny wasn't sorry that he had; he had saved her. But she was curious about it.

Soon they got back into the cavern and were looking out over the lake. Ginny's eyes went to where she had fallen unconscious and the two teenagers climbed down the rock until they were on the ground. Ginny looked into the water but couldn't see anything. It was like finding a needle in a haystack, this was. Her wand was light brown and the lake floor was the same color.

"Accio Ginny's wand," Draco said. They both watched the water and then, only a few feet from the lake's edge, a plume of water erupted from the surface and Ginny's wand went soaring into Draco's hand. He handed it to her.

"Thanks," Ginny said quietly. She looked around shyly for a moment before looking back up at Draco. "And thanks for coming after me. And sorry," she finished in a rush.

"For what?" Draco asked, his eyes scanning her face.

Ginny rubbed her neck and looked away uncomfortably. "For making you mad like that," she said. "I shouldn't have said those things."

Draco looked at her, his face expressionless, for several seconds. "Don't be sorry," he finally muttered, turning around. Ginny looked confusedly at the ground. She walked around the other side of Draco so she could see him and he looked up.

"What?" she asked.

Draco looked as if he'd rather be anywhere else at the moment. Finally he let his eyes rest on Ginny. "I said don't be sorry," he said. "You didn't do anything wrong." Draco started walking around the edge of the lake towards the other tunnel that led back to the school. Ginny followed him. Was that an apology? Well, it was probably as close to a sincere apology as she'd ever get out of a Malfoy.

As they began back up the tunnel, Ginny asked, "What did you mean?"

"What?" Draco asked.

"Back when you were – back up at the castle," Ginny said. "Your mother's under the Imperious Curse?"

Draco turned and stared at her and some of the anger Ginny had seen earlier returned to his eyes. "How do you know about that?" he asked breathlessly, obviously upset.

"I –you said so back – back when you were ch-choking me," Ginny answered, surprised that he didn't remember. Draco's suspicious look changed to one of remembrance and he looked as if he were about to be sick. He looked at her almost nervously, as if he was afraid Ginny would suddenly start screaming at him.

"Well," Draco said, jerkily turning around and starting back up the tunnel, "what do you mean, 'what did I mean'? There aren't many meanings of what I – what I said."

Ginny hurried to keep up with him. "But how is that possible? I mean, why would your mother be under the Imperious Curse?"

Draco didn't answer her.

"I guess I just don't understand," Ginny mumbled. _Don't push your luck, Ginny,_ she thought. She remembered the way Draco's hands had felt clenched around her neck and shivered. Immediately she felt guilty. She thought of the tender way in which those same hands had later brushed aside her tears and tucked her hair out of her eyes.

"What's there to understand," Draco said bitterly, more to himself than Ginny. "She's under the Imperious Curse and has been my whole life."

"But who's casting it on her?" Ginny asked, wondering just how much longer Draco would remain talkative.

Draco slowed down and then stopped walking. He turned and looked at Ginny but when he saw her eyes on his, he looked down. Slowly turning his gaze back ahead of him, he said, "My father."

Ginny stared after Draco as he walked on, too stunned to move. Really, that information shouldn't surprise her too much. Many of the wizarding community suspected Lucius Malfoy to be a Death Eater, but as of yet there hadn't been any evidence to send him to Azkaban.

A few small stones falling off of a large rock Draco was climbing over snapped Ginny back to reality and she hurried to catch up to him. She tried to look at his face but he wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Hey," she said as he sped up, not wanting to look at her. "Hey," she repeated, planting herself firmly in front of Draco. He looked at her exasperatedly. "It's not your fault, you know," she said, but Draco brushed past her. She frowned and walked next to him. "Well, it's not," she muttered. She thought she heard a derisive snort come from Draco but when she turned her eyes to him he was concentrating on the ground they were walking over.

They were silent for the rest of the journey out of the secret tunnel and when they reached the top, Draco pulled the stone out of its hole. Ginny closed her eyes as the wind rushed by them, the humming filled the cave, and the tunnels changed back to normal. When she opened her eyes, she saw Draco looking at her.

"I was trying to save her, you know," he said hesitantly. "I wanted to get her away from my father because when she's apart from him, she can throw the curse off." Ginny stared quietly at Draco, who continued talking even though he looked as if someone else was forcing himself to speak. He half-turned from Ginny, but before he got the nerve to walk away completely he turned back. He opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it, and turned away completely.

Cautiously Ginny stepped around him and looked at him. Draco looked up embarrassedly. Once more he opened his mouth to say something but shut it in confusion. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked back at Ginny. After hesitating again, he said, "I – I couldn't do it." His hand twitched uncomfortably at his side. Draco seemed to be waiting for some sort of passing judgment from Ginny, but she remained silent. When he saw her so, Draco continued.

"I mean, I tried," he said. "Of course – of course I _tried_ to save her, it's just that…" he trailed off helplessly. "And besides," he continued, frowning, "even if I could've saved her, there's nowhere I could bring her where she wouldn't be found by the wrong people. There's no hope for it," he finished sadly, turning from Ginny and resuming their walk back towards the school now with a ferocious pace.

Ginny walked along with him, pondering what Draco had just revealed. Perhaps that was what Draco had been so upset about earlier. Ginny had no way of knowing, and she wasn't going to pester him any further at the moment. The fact that he had confided in her like this was enough astonishment for one night.

Her mind continued reeling with thoughts until she suddenly stopped in her tracks, a wondrous look on her face.

"Draco," she called out, and the boy stopped and turned.

"What?" he asked tiredly.

"I know where you could take her."

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**A/N:** So, what do you guys think? By the by, if I left anybody out in the dedication that should be in there, please let me know and I'll fix it. I double checked and then checked again, so I think I got everybody, but you never know.

This'll be the last chapter for a while. Yeah, I know you are all going, "Hmph, what is she talking about? It's always a long time in between chapters…stupid author…sheesh…" but I'm sorry. Lol like I said, moving and stuff. I'll try to update soon though.

One more thing…I used the line "needle in a haystack" in this chapter, and that's a very cliché line, so if any of you have a line like that that means the same thing, let me know in a review! I love seeing things like that.

Lauren


	30. Saving Narcissa

Well it's hard to believe that I'm at 30 chapters already, but here it is.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing, that is, if an extremely awesome football jersey counts as nothing.

**Chapter 30: Saving Narcissa**

"What?" asked Draco, his eyes narrowing as he took a step towards Ginny. "What do you mean?"

"I know a place where you could take your mum," Ginny replied excitedly.

"And where might that be?"

"Well," began Ginny, biting her lip. "Actually, I'm not positive it would work, but I'm willing to bet my new broomstick it would!"

"Where is it?" Draco repeated, and Ginny heard the impatience in his voice. The two were still down in the tunnel, little less than a ten minutes walk from the castle. Ginny's hair was starting to dry, but the back of her robe was still wet from where she had fallen into the lake.

"See, I know this lady," Ginny said, "and she lives all by herself in Hogsmede in the shop that she runs, but it's a tiny shop and almost nobody sees it; I myself hardly saw it when I was walking by. She's really nice and quiet and you wouldn't have to worry about her doing anything to your mother because she's a Squib but I think it would be a safe place for her," Ginny finished in a rush, looking at Draco. The Slytherin was looking at her dubiously, although so far he hadn't refused.

"It'd be perfectly safe," Ginny said quietly. "I met her myself and she wouldn't harm a fly."

After a short pause, Draco said, "It's not her I'm worried about."

"But who –" Ginny began.

"My father," Draco said, cutting Ginny off, "will not part with my mother that easily. I'd have to sneak her out of the house and if he didn't catch us right away, it'd only be a matter of time before he did. And then he'd find her."

"You don't know that for sure," said Ginny with a frown.

Draco gave a dry laugh. "You don't know my father."

They both fell silent. Draco was staring at the stone floor, his mouth set in a line; he seemed to be deliberating what Ginny was saying. Ginny, on the other hand, badly wanted Draco to accept her offer. She couldn't say why she so desperately wanted to help him, but some little voice in her was just urging her on. Maybe it was because she felt in debt to him for his saving her life, but somehow she thought it was more than that. Recently she had been seeing just how human Draco was, that he could hurt, cry, and bleed just like everybody else, that he wasn't the Death Eater people thought him to be.

Draco looked up uncertainly. Ginny could tell that he really would like to believe her, to get his mother to a safe place, but there was still doubt in his eyes.

"It'll work," Ginny said softly. "Trust me."

They stared at each other for a moment. Ginny could see herself reflected in Draco's cool grey eyes. She swallowed and her heartbeat sped up under Draco's continued glance. Finally she looked away, unable to look at him any longer. To her horror, she felt a heat creep up her neck and knew that she was blushing. Embarrassedly she turned around, willing the red in her cheeks to disappear, as she herself suddenly wanted to do. She couldn't for the life of her figure out why she was blushing.

"Okay," Draco said from behind her, and Ginny let out the breath she'd been holding. "We'll give it a try."

Ginny smiled and turned around. "Great," she answered. Unexpectedly a smile formed on Draco's face. Only this was a smile Ginny had never seen from him before, a real smile. There were no traces of sarcasm, disdain, or malice to be seen. For a moment, the worries that for a month had been present on his face seemed to disappear and he looked as if all he had to worry about were the upcoming end of the year exams.

For a moment, if anybody who didn't know the two teens were to look upon them, they would swear that Ginny and Draco were friends.

* * *

That night up in his room, Draco had a hard time falling asleep. He sighed and rolled over in bed. He felt drained of all emotion and energy. As far as he could tell, he and Ginny were back on good terms. He couldn't help the tiny part of himself that resented that fact, but he figured he needed someone he could talk to, someone who he could trust. 

But did Draco really trust Ginny? He thought he did. To be accepting the place she had proposed to take his mother to, he thought he should trust her. _Alright, so I trust her,_ he admitted grudgingly.

Draco had told Ginny that he wanted his mother out of Malfoy Manor as soon as possible, so they had agreed to meet in Hogsmede the next night, where they would begin their mission to rescue Narcissa.

The plan was simple. The next day was Saturday, and Ginny was going to Hogsmede early to talk to the lady with whom Narcissa was staying. Draco had never heard of her before, some woman Ginny called Miss Reina. Then that evening, after dark, Draco would travel to Malfoy Manor and somehow get his mother out. They would both come back to Hogsmede and Narcissa would be left with Reina. By the time Lucius would figure out that his wife was gone, hopefully it would be too late for him to trace her. And with Narcissa so far away from Lucius, he wouldn't be able to cast the Imperius Curse on her again.

It all seemed so simple in words, but Draco knew that in real life it would be a lot more difficult. He had already tried once to get his mother out, but that hadn't worked. Draco had no idea how he would try rescuing her this time. He just hoped that whatever he did, both he and his mother would make it out alive.

* * *

Ginny pulled her cloak closer to her body as she made her way through Hogsmede the next day after lunch. Thankfully it wasn't snowing today, and the sun was hot, working hard to melt the snow. Despite the cheerful appearance, the day was still bitterly cold. 

Ginny was elated that Draco had agreed to let his mother stay with Reina. It was probably because he was so desperate to get her away; he'd most likely let her stay almost anywhere. But Ginny was happy that it was her idea he had listened to.

Within a few minutes, Ginny came to Reina's store. Ginny oddly realized that she had never before noticed what the store was called. She looked around for some sort of sign and saw an old wooden one hanging over the door with the name burnt into the wood. She smiled when she saw the name: _Life's Little Things._

It fit perfectly.

Ginny smiled as she walked into the store and the familiar scent of cinnamon hit her. This time the store was lit a bit more brightly than last time; several more candles were lit and a few lamps with red scarves hanging over them were resting on old wooden tables that despite their rugged surfaces, were clean.

Ginny looked around, idly weaving her way through the many tables, searching for Miss Reina. She found the woman sitting at her desk at the back of the room next to the staircase that wound up through the ceiling to her room. Reina was looking down at something she was writing, and Ginny cleared her throat.

Reina looked up and smiled. "Well hello," she said brightly. "It's nice to see you again."

"Likewise," said Ginny with a smile.

"How did the dress work out for you?" Reina asked, setting her quill, ink, and parchment aside. "That and the masks and everything else?"

"They were great," replied Ginny, sitting in the chair in front of Reina's desk. "They got lots of compliments and my friend Hermione absolutely loved that mask."

"Good," said Reina. "That's good."

They both were silent for a moment and Ginny bit her lip. She wasn't sure what Reina would think of Ginny's inquiry, and she didn't want to impose, but some part of her told her that Reina wouldn't mind having Narcissa over. At least she hoped Reina wouldn't mind.

"What can I do you for?" Reina asked, folding her hands in her lap and sitting back in her chair.

"Well…" began Ginny, trying to think of a polite way to ask. _Yes, the dresses and masks were perfect, thank you very much, I just dropped by to say hello, and by the way, would you mind housing the wife of a violent Death Eater so that she doesn't have to be under the Imperius Curse anymore?_ Even in her mind the request sounded ridiculous.

Ginny cleared her throat again.

"Would you like some tea?" Reina asked, raising an eyebrow. Ginny nodded gratefully. Buying a bit of time would be good. Ginny thought regretfully that she would've done much better to plan out a proper approach before actually coming.

Ginny followed Reina through another door on the ground floor into what she assumed was the kitchen. There was a sink on one side of the kitchen and a refrigerator next to it. On the opposite side of kitchen was an oven. A table and a few chairs rested on the far side of the room.

As Reina prepared two cups of tea, Ginny sat down at the kitchen table and played with her hands. When the tea was ready, Reina sat down next to Ginny and sighed.

"That's better," she said. "It's not often I get visitors, but whenever I do, it's a pleasant surprise."

Ginny smiled. "Did you have a good holiday?" she asked politely.

"It was fair enough," Reina nodded. "Not a lot goes on for me. Did you stay at Hogwarts for Christmas?"

"No," replied Ginny. "My brother and I went home."

"Ah, you have a brother?" Reina asked, and Ginny detected a sense of sadness. She remembered the last time she had been here and how she had found out about Reina's own brother's death.

"Actually I have six," Ginny said. She smiled as Reina's eyes grew big. "Yeah," Ginny laughed, "we get that a lot."

"I can't imagine having that many brothers," Reina shook her head. "Are you the only girl?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes, and I'm the youngest. Everybody treats me like it too. 'Don't do that, Ginny. Don't touch that, Ginny. Go away Ginny. Not like that, Ginny,'" the girl said, impersonating her brothers. Reina looked at her sympathetically, and they once more were quiet.

"So," Reina began, stirring her tea, "I gather that you didn't come here just to talk about brothers, now did you?"

"No," Ginny said slowly. "You see, I have this – this friend…"

"Do you now?" Reina asked, causing Ginny's nervous look to melt into a smile.

"Yeah…this is hard to ask without me sounding really rude," Ginny said.

"Go for it, girly," Reina said.

"Ok," Ginny sighed. "See, my friend's mother is under the Imperious Curse and has been his entire life, only he just found out about it now, and he wants to get her away from his dad because that's who's casting the Curse, but there's nowhere safe for her to go, but if you wanted she could stay here and nobody would find her," Ginny finished in a rush.

Reina thoughtfully looked at the table for a moment. Without looking up, she asked, "And would your friend's father be a Death Eater?"

"Yes," Ginny answered at once. "Well, I mean, it's not exactly a proven fact, but most likely he is."

"Why doesn't your friend just go to the ministry and report his father to them?" Reina asked.

Ginny frowned. "Well, I don't know," she mused. "I suppose because he thinks nobody would believe him if he did, or else his father or some other Death Eaters would figure it out and kill him. I don't know."

Reina was silent for several minutes, during which Ginny sat uncomfortably in her seat. She hoped she wasn't too far out of line with her request, and she desperately hoped, for Draco's and his mother's sake, that this would work out.

"So you say his father's a Death Eater?"

"I'd bet my life on it," Ginny said.

"Well then," Reina sighed, "she can stay."

"Really?" Ginny asked, hardly daring to believe her ears.

"I've never been one to turn away those in need," Reina smiled. Ginny noticed suddenly that the woman looked as if she knew something that she wasn't letting Ginny in on. Ginny's eyes narrowed slightly and she remembered Reina's psychic ability. It could be that the reason Reina was agreeing was because she could see something, but Ginny had no way of knowing and she wasn't about to ask.

"Thanks," Ginny said. She took a sip of her tea.

For a few more minutes, as they both finished their tea, Ginny and Reina talked. Then Ginny excused herself, saying that she had lots of things to take care of that night. Reina had agreed to letting Narcissa come to her that evening. That is, if Draco got her safely. Ginny had it all arranged. That night after dinner, she and Draco would meet down in Hogsmede where Ginny would wait while Draco traveled to Malfoy Manor to get his mother.

Hopefully it would all work out for the best for all of them.

* * *

As soon as she got back to the castle, Ginny went up to the Owlry and wrote a letter to Draco. 

_Draco,_

_It's all taken care of. Reina says your mother is welcome to stay with her. I'll see you tonight._

_Ginny_

She watched the owl soar out into the sky that was still free from all traces of clouds, and when the owl turned the corner around the castle, she walked back towards the Gryffindor dormitories.

* * *

Trying to calm his nerves, Draco made his way out of the castle and into the night. He had had to wait longer than he had expected for the Great Hall to clear; it had been worth it though. Nobody had seen him exit the castle. 

He had gotten Ginny's note earlier in the day and that was when he first started to believe that their plan might work. He had had doubts about anybody wanting to take Narcissa in, but Ginny obviously placed heavy faith in this person.

Draco just hoped that the woman would prove as helpful a person to Narcissa as she had been to Ginny.

Draco looked up as he walked down the path. The sky was filled with oranges and pinks as the sun descended and he frowned. The cover of the clouds that night would've been helpful, but Draco could see that the night would be clear. The Slytherin boy had his hand in his cloak and wrapped around his wand, ready for everything.

Once Draco was in Hogsmede, he broke into a jog. Draco was to go to the Hog's Head where he would Floo to Malfoy Manor. Draco had asked why he couldn't just Floo from Reina's place, but Ginny had said that she wasn't hooked up to the Floo network. They had decided on the Hog's Head instead of the Three Broomsticks for the reason that there would be fewer people in the former pub to ask why students were out of Hogwarts that late at night. The Hog's Head usually drew a shadier crowd, but at least everybody kept to themselves.

As Draco had predicted, Ginny was sitting on a bench outside the Hog's Head. She rose when she saw Draco.

"What happened?" she asked.

"It wasn't so easy to get out of the castle unnoticed, Draco answered. "I suppose you got out earlier."

"While everybody was still at dinner," Ginny answered. "Here, I brought you this." She held out a cloak of silvery, water-like material. "It's Harry's Invisibility Cloak. I thought it might come in handy and was able to borrow it from him. They think I'm studying late in the library."

"Is this how he's always not getting caught by the teachers?" Draco asked indignantly. "All these years he's been getting away with everything and all because nobody could see him?"

Ginny grinned. "Yeah, but don't tell anyone." Draco grudgingly took the cloak, looking at it as if it had betrayed him. "Are you ready?" Ginny asked, serious once again.

"Yes," Draco answered.

"Ok," Ginny said, peering through the window into the Hog's Head, where several witches and wizards were gathered for their evening drink. "Let's go."

"Hold on," Draco said. Before they walked in, Draco put on the Invisibility Cloak. He saw Ginny's eyes narrow as she tried to find him again, and he pulled the cloak off of his face for a minute. "I'll follow you," he said. "Just walk over to the fireplace, try to look as if you belong there, and I'll slip right by. After a minute or so, just leave."

"Alright," Ginny nodded. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the pub. Draco secured the cloak about him tighter, made sure he was completely out of sight, and then followed the girl inside.

Despite its dirty atmosphere, the pub was brightly lit. The barman was standing behind the bar and looked as if he wished everyone would leave; he didn't even turn to look at Ginny and Draco as they walked in. A few cloaked figures were seated atop tall bar stools and several tables were occupied. One or two tables had more than one occupant, but most tables contained only a single person. Draco saw more than a few eyes travel towards the seemingly lone Ginny that walked into the pub. He didn't like the looks that the men at one table were giving her and tightened his grip on his wand just in case.

As they were walking towards the fireplace used solely for Floo traveling, one of the men's hands shot out and grabbed Ginny's arm, pulling her onto his lap and sliding his arms around Ginny's waist.

"Well hello," the man said slyly. Draco could smell the whisky on the man's throat, but the fact that the man was probably drunk and not entirely responsible for his current actions didn't stop the unexpected wave of jealousy and anger that swept through Draco. It took all of his self control not to rip off the cloak and curse the man. Draco wouldn't have had time to anyway, because Ginny's wand whipped out and was pointing menacingly at the man's throat.

"Don't even think about it," Ginny said in a cold voice. The man's smug look dropped off his face and he held his arms up helplessly. Draco was disgusted by the man's cowardice. Nevertheless, he was immensely relieved when Ginny stood up and they hurriedly continued on their way. She glanced back nervously at the man. Draco felt even more anger directed towards the man for the fear that was in Ginny's eyes, and Draco knew then that her bravery in front of the man who had grabbed her had been more for the sake of his letting her go rather than the fact that she was completely fearless.

They reached the fire place, near which a small bucket was sitting that contained Floo powder. Draco bent over the bucket and, making sure the Invisibility Cloak covered all his movements, scooped up a handful. Before he stepped into the fire, Draco turned to Ginny, who was trying to nonchalantly lean against the wall near the grate, and whispered through the Invisibility Cloak, "Are you alright?"

Ginny barely nodded so as to not gain anymore attention than she had already, but her eyes skittered over to where she guessed Draco to be. Seeing then that she was alright, Draco gingerly stepped into the grate.

As quick as could be, he threw the powder onto the floor and said in a low voice, "Malfoy Manor," just as Ginny subtly kicked over the bucket, sending Floo powder everywhere. Then green flames erupted around Draco and he started spinning.

The last thing he heard and saw was Ginny sweetly apologizing to the barman, who had finally come out from around the bar, for knocking over his bucket of Floo powder and causing a commotion.

* * *

Draco appeared in a burst of green flames in the only fire place in the Malfoy house that was connected to the Floo network. If there was any part of the night that would rely solely on luck, it would be this moment. If Lucius Malfoy was in his study at the time of Draco's arrival, it was all over. 

To Draco's good fortune, though, his father's study was empty. Silently Draco sped down the halls. The evening was turning late and Draco knew that his parents would be finished with dinner by now. He had no idea where his father was, but he figured his mother would be in her room. She was rarely anywhere else.

So Draco made his way to his mother's quarters. Years ago, Draco's parents had stayed in the same room. Then his mother had moved into the room next to his fathers. At the time, Draco couldn't make sense of the change. He hadn't even known of it for a while, but when he had figured it out, he didn't know why they didn't sleep together. Then, a year or so before Draco first went to Hogwarts, his mother was moved to the other side of the house. Draco had learned by then not to question anything his parents did.

When Draco reached his mother's room, he entered without knocking. Right away his eyes were drawn to Narcissa. She was sitting in her window seat, staring out the window up at the moon just as she had been the first time Draco had seen her in the glass ball.

Narcissa jumped at Draco's entrance and turned around. When her eyes landed on Draco, a smile lit up her face and Draco knew she wasn't under the Curse at the moment.

"What are you doing here?" Narcissa asked, standing up.

"I've come for you," Draco answered. "This time I have a plan and we'll get away safely."

"Are you sure?" Narcissa asked breathlessly. There was fear plain in her voice and Draco wondered what Lucius had done to her after he had left during Christmas break.

"Yes," said Draco. "I've found somewhere for you to stay, but we have to leave now. Can you make it?"

"I think so," Narcissa said. "Just let me pack a few things."

Draco watched anxiously as his mother pulled out a bag from under the bed and went to her dresser. She pulled out a few items, mainly clothes, and placed them in the bag before coming to Draco.

"That's it?" Draco asked, intrigued. "You don't want to take more? We're not coming back."

Narcissa smiled wryly. "Spending years with my belongings and not being able to clearly appreciate them has dampened the way I feel about them when I do have my mind."

Draco nodded slowly. "Alright then. Here, get under this." Draco then threw the Invisibility Cloak over the both of them.

"Where did you get this?" Draco's mother asked him.

"It belongs to…uh – I borrowed it from someone," Draco said, not willing to admit that he was using something of Harry Potter's, and he certainly wasn't going to admit how helpful it was.

They exited Narcissa's room without a backward glance and as quietly as possible made their way to Lucius's study.

When they were halfway there, Draco heard footsteps fast approaching them. He pulled his mother flat against the wall, where they stood side by side breathlessly. Draco's heart was pounding so fast he was sure whoever was approaching could hear it. Worriedly he glanced sideways at his mother. If the footsteps belonged to his father, than his mother would have a hard time of it; Draco remembered the last time they had been trying to escape. He grabbed his mother's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Sure enough, Lucius Malfoy soon rounded the corner and walked towards them quickly. Draco's hand that wasn't holding Narcissa's was wrapped around his wand. Luck was on their side that night, however. Lucius walked by them without any notion that they were there.

When Lucius was safely out of sight, Draco turned to his mother, who was shaking badly but was nevertheless still standing.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked. Narcissa didn't reply but she nodded her head. "Come on then," Draco said, and he and his mother started running down the hallway. Draco hoped that his father wasn't heading to Narcissa's room; he had been hoping for more time before Lucius figured out that Narcissa was missing.

Soon they reached Lucius's study and they stepped into the fireplace. Draco grabbed a handful of Floo powder and said, "The Hog's Head."

In a rush of green fire, the two Malfoys disappeared.

* * *

Ginny drummed her fingers anxiously across Reina's kitchen table. The young girl was staring vaguely into the fire, which was one of the main sources of light in the room. She had been waiting there for nearly an hour for Draco to return with his mother. Return with her, that is, if he was successful in rescuing her. Ginny didn't know why, but she was fairly certain that he'd come back with Narcissa Malfoy. That strange certainty, though, didn't diminish the fear Ginny felt for him. 

Reina, on the other hand, had been acting as she normally did. She seemed completely nonplussed by the whole idea. The two females had talked a bit, but mostly Reina was upstairs preparing the other half of her room for Narcissa's stay.

Ginny impatiently looked to the clock on the counter. It was half past nine. Already the sky was inky black and a few stars were making their presence known. Ginny and Draco were already past curfew and they would have to be careful about getting back into the castle, but with Harry's Invisibility Cloak to help them, Ginny felt confident that they wouldn't get caught.

The floor creaked and Ginny looked up to see Reina coming into the room. Ginny sighed and sat up, biting her lip. Without a word, Reina sat down across from Ginny. Subconsciously Ginny started to bite her nails and it was then that Reina spoke up.

"If you don't stop biting those things, all you're going to be left with are fleshy nubs," Reina said, gazing at Ginny.

"Oh, right," Ginny said, folding her fingers her lap. "It's just that I'm…" she trailed off when she heard knocking. Instantly both women sat alert and Ginny bolted from her seat and rushed to the entrance door of the store, Reina close behind her.

Ginny's heart beat wildly as she opened the door. For a moment all Ginny saw was the empty street, but then Draco and Narcissa's head appeared in the doorway, followed by the rest of their bodies as they pulled the cloak off of themselves. A tiny smile slowly pulled the corners of Ginny's mouth upward, but she stepped aside as the two Malfoy's walked in.

"Welcome," Reina said brightly. "Let me get you a cup of tea; that might perk you up a bit. Goodness, you're as white as a ghost," exclaimed Reina as she looked at Narcissa. Ginny watched as the former woman went into the kitchen and returned mere seconds later with a cup of tea, which she handed to Narcissa Malfoy. "Sit down, sit down, make yourself at home," Reina said, ushering Narcissa into a chair in the kitchen.

"Thank you," Narcissa said wearily. She sat down in the chair offered her and closed her eyes. Ginny saw the lines around her eyes, betraying her age even though at a distance, Narcissa might look no older than her early twenties; Ginny guessed her to be a little younger than her own mother. The woman had long, white-blonde hair the same color as Draco's, and when Narcissa finally opened her eyes and looked about, Ginny saw that her eyes were light blue.

Ginny looked back and forth between Draco and Narcissa; the resemblance between mother and son was striking. Draco sat down next to Narcissa and Ginny suddenly realized that Draco had never met Reina. Ginny knew she should introduce them, but she was overtaken by a sudden shyness and uncertainty, one she could only attribute to Narcissa's arrival. Malfoys and Weasleys didn't get along, although she and Draco had been friendlier towards each other recently. But Ginny had no idea what to expect from Narcissa. On the few rare occasions that Ginny had seen the woman, Narcissa had been haughty and aloof, but Ginny knew she had then been under the Imperius Curse, which could be the cause of the woman's ego. Now that she was free from the Curse, her attitudes might be different. Ginny hoped they would be.

Forcing herself to be brave, Ginny cleared her throat. "Uh, Draco, this is Reina," Ginny said, motioning between them with her hands. "Reina, this is Draco."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Draco," Reina said, shaking the boy's hand. "I've heard quite a lot about you from Ginny here."

A short, nervous laugh escaped Ginny, but she didn't think anybody heard it. "Nice to meet you too," Draco replied. "This is my mother, Narcissa Malfoy." Both women said hello to each other. "And mother," Draco continued, "this is Ginny Weasley."

Ginny held her breath as Narcissa's head turned. The girl could hardly see anything past the tiredness in Narcissa's face, but she thought she recognized some of the old Narcissa behind those eyes. Perhaps it was just in the way she held her mouth in a straight line, or maybe it was just Ginny's imagination, but she thought she perceived some sort of haughtiness about her. As Ginny's heart fell, Narcissa nodded curtly to her.

"Hello," was all Narcissa said to her.

"Hi," Ginny managed to squeak out; her voice was shaking too much to say anything more.

For about another half hour, Ginny and Draco remained at Reina's. They helped Narcissa get settled in, and to Ginny's slight relief, Narcissa said not a word at the plainness of the room the two women were sharing. For the most part Ginny tried to stay out of the way, and she accomplished that by staying downstairs in the kitchen. Reina joined her after a while as Draco and his mother talked upstairs for a few minutes, and then Draco came downstairs.

"She's just resting right now," Draco said. "I think she'll be fine." He smiled. "She's completely free of the Imperius Curse now, and I think she'll be staying that way." Ginny couldn't resist a smile at the happiness she saw on Draco's face.

"Well then, you see?" Reina said happily. "Everything will be alright. There's no cause for worry from any of us. I have a feeling that Narcissa and I will soon become great friends."

Draco looked at Reina. "Thank you for taking her in like this," he said seriously. "Not – not many people would."

Reina looked at Draco for a moment, and then smiled at Ginny. "Well isn't he a sweet one then."

"I'll come by in a few days to see her again," Draco said to Reina, "but for now, I think Ginny and I have to get back to the castle. If we get caught, Filch'll have our heads."

A few minutes later, Ginny and Draco were silently walking through the almost-empty streets of Hogsmede.

"So how did it go?" Ginny asked, glancing out of the corner of her eyes at Draco.

"Pretty good, I guess," Draco answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "I mean, we didn't get caught, obviously." The ghost of Draco's reminiscent smirk appeared on his face.

"Obviously," Ginny said quietly, looking out into the distance. She could see Hogwarts in the distance and knew soon that they would have to dawn the Invisibility Cloak if they didn't want to be seen. Ginny sighed.

"Is something wrong?" Draco asked.

"No, nothing's wrong," replied Ginny. Draco looked at Ginny as if he didn't believe her, but he didn't question her any further. Ginny herself didn't quite know what was wrong. She was happy that Draco's mother was safe and that he himself was happy, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Narcissa neither approved of or even liked her. An unexpected wave of depression swept over Ginny, and she shuddered at the intensity of it. She had only felt like this once in her life. That one time had been right after her experience with the Chamber of Secrets, but she had gotten over that quickly enough. Ginny didn't know what was bringing this depression on; part of her wanted to fight it and to be happy, but another part of her wanted to embrace the dark curtain of protection it offered and hide away forever. Her longing for that scared her.

"Where's that cloak?" Draco asked as they neared the castle's entrance. Ginny pulled it out and looked back and forth between it and Draco. "Look," Draco said, sensing what Ginny was thinking, "it's either we both get under that thing or we both get caught."

"Fine," Ginny said grumpily, though in truth, her heart was pounding at the thought of being that physically close to Draco. She couldn't even believe that he would suggest them both getting under the cloak. But then, knowing Harry and Ron, boys would do almost anything to avoid a detention.

So Ginny and Draco both got under the Invisibility Cloak. Ginny could feel the heat of his body next to hers as they walked up the castle steps. A sudden memory of Draco picking up Ginny's books after she had viciously been attacked by snowballs flooded her mind. That incident had happened on these exact steps.

The two teens were walking slower than normal because of the cloak, and it felt like a lifetime to Ginny before they were finally inside the castle. They stopped for a moment, torn between which ways to go. The Gryffindor dormitory was up the stairs, but the Slytherin dorms were not. Ginny glanced at Draco and saw him frowning at the stairs

"Well, I'll just risk it from here," Draco whispered. "The cloak has to go with you and you're going up the stairs."

"No," Ginny replied more quickly than she would've liked. "I – I mean," she stammered as Draco raised an eyebrow, "I'll just walk you to your House and then I'll go to mine. That way nobody gets caught."

Ginny bit her tongue as she realized how her suggesting that they stay under the cloak longer together might sound. The situation brought up a world full of ridiculing and joking opportunities for Draco and Ginny braced herself. However, Draco merely nodded and they started off towards the dungeons. Ginny could hardly believe herself for suggesting such a thing and tried to tell herself that she was just being practical in the sense that she didn't want Draco in any trouble.

The walk down to the dungeons was surreal for Ginny and she only realized that they were there when Draco stopped walking, causing Ginny in turn to halt. Ginny saw the door she recognized from going into the Slytherin dorms with Blaise; the memory of what had happened in there still sent shivers down her spine.

Draco turned towards Ginny so that they were facing each other under the cloak; they were so close that they were practically touching each other. Ginny's heartbeat doubled and her legs started to shake. She desperately hoped that Draco didn't notice, though Ginny was sure he would. Ginny couldn't help but notice –and she wondered how she had never noticed before, being the romantic that she was– how perfectly her body would fit in Draco's arms. Immediately after that thought popped into her head, Ginny's eyes widened in horror and her face blushed scarlet. She looked away from Draco in fear of how silly she must look, and she certainly didn't want Draco to figure out what she was thinking.

"Well this is my stop," Draco said, clearly amused. Ginny, if possible, blushed even deeper at the amusement she heard in his voice. She could only imagine what he was thinking at the moment. Ginny tried to say in a haughty voice, "You're bloody right it is," but her throat was so tight with embarrassment and all that escaped her mouth was an indistinguishable squeak. She desperately wanted to get away quickly. This probably ranked in the top five on her list of most embarrassing moments.

"Thanks, Ginny," Draco said, serious once more. Ginny looked up and then flinched as her nose brushed against Draco's chin at her sudden movement. Yep, definitely one of her most embarrassing, awkward moments. However, she forced herself to look him straight in the eye.

Before Ginny could reply, Draco smirked and said as he stepped out from underneath the cloak, "Who knew at least one of you Weasleys could be so sneaky yet so helpful at the same time."

And then Draco disappeared into the Slytherin House, leaving a completely unsettled and startled Ginny standing in the hallway staring after him.

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**A/N:** Ha, how did you guys like that little bit between Ginny and Draco there at the end? I bet ya'll were thinking and hoping that they would kiss then, but I fooled you. Nah, I'm just kidding. I have a feeling that lots of you know exactly what is going on in the plot of the story, but I can be assured that absolutely nobody is prepared for the huge twist in the story that will be coming up. I surprised even myself with it, and I am pretty happy with it. But back to the Ginny/Draco/whenwilltheyeverkissthing…you will just have to wait for that. Or will it ever happen…? Bwhaha. Review and you shall see.

One more thing, on a more serious side, I know I just moved, and that was the reason for the delay in updating, but there's a chance that I won't be able to update for a while again. I'm saying probably no more than a three week wait, but then again, there might not be that long of a wait. But you know with moving and all, everything is all crazy and there's like no time to do anything but work. As it is at the moment, I'm sitting on a hard lawn chair in a completely empty house with bugs all over the place because the bug man came and sprayed a few days ago and it rained so those two factors scared all the bugs out of hiding and I really hate bugs so its miserable and I have to sleep on the floor and I think that's all the complaining I'll do now. Lol sorry 'bout that. Ok. Now go review. Please.

Lauren


	31. Realizations and Decisions

Disclaimer: I own nothing of this.

**Chapter 31: Realizations and Decisions**

After he closed the door to the Slytherin dormitories, Draco leaned against it. He couldn't help the tiny smile that graced his face. He had noticed how flustered Ginny was when the two of them had been under the cloak. She had blushed particularly deeply when they'd reached the Slytherin House. That Draco could have that affect on Ginny was surprising considering the fact that they'd hated each other for years.

_I've still got it,_ Draco thought smugly as he walked across the Slytherin common room towards the stair case to his room. As he walked up the stairs, he thought back to his mother. She was finally safe. To Draco, it felt as if a giant weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. He truly did believe that Narcissa was safe at Reina's. He had wondered when Ginny had said it was a tiny shop and nobody saw it, but now he knew what she meant. He had followed the directions Ginny had given him to find the shop, but even still he had almost missed it.

The best thing about it was that Lucius would never dream of looking there for Narcissa. He would think Draco would hide her somewhere grand, somewhere bigger and richer. Lucius's pride and arrogance would be the thing to hold him back from finding Narcissa.

As Draco walked into his room, he stopped in disgust. The floor to the room was hardly visible anymore. Four teenage boys, including Draco himself, did not tend to be neat. Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini were all sleeping; only the left half of Blaise was on the bed. Crabbe was huddled in a ball under all the covers on his bed, and Goyle was snoring loudly.

Just as Draco was nearing his bed, he tripped over a thick book and he started falling. He tried to grab onto his bed curtains to break his fall, but he was out of reach. With a crash, Draco landed at the foot of his bed. He looked around to see if anybody had awoken, but his room-mates were still asleep. Draco sighed and sat up, leaning his back against his bed. He let his hands fall to the floor beside him and then stiffened when he realized what his right hand had fallen upon.

His mouth going dry, Draco looked down slowly. He swallowed as he picked up a yellowing newspaper that was wrinkled and creased, showing that it had been handled often. It was the paper that had come out a month earlier, the one about the family he had helped murder.

Draco looked at the paper he had become so familiar with over the past few weeks and his eyes immediately traveled to the boy's name. Aidan Grant. Draco sighed and shoved the paper back under the bed. He'd already read the article hundreds of times and had no wish to read it again.

Over the past month, Draco had been tormented by the memory of the boy, of the boy's last moments of life. No matter how hard Draco tried to get rid of the scene playing in his head, the one where Aidan fell backwards slowly into the mud, dead, he couldn't. It was as if Draco were stuck in limbo; at certain moments like this, Draco felt as he had the day he had killed Aidan. But just a few minutes earlier, he had been with Ginny Weasley and he'd actually been happy.

Well, rescuing his mother and finally doing something right _should_ make him happy. Narcissa was safe and Draco welcomed the slight redemption it brought for him. Now he knew that he wasn't a complete failure. He could do some good in the world.

Draco just hoped that this new-found happiness wouldn't be overrun by the memory of what he had done on Christmas day.

Draco hoped his whole life wouldn't be haunted by it.

* * *

Ginny sped down the hallways towards the Gryffindor House. Her heart was pounding and she was glad that she had the Invisibility Cloak to hide herself under. She wasn't sure what she was running from, the feelings for Draco that had snuck upon her as she had walked him to his house, the fear of getting caught, or something else. All she knew is that she wanted to be hiding under the covers of her bed right at that moment.

Ginny was not to be so lucky, however. As the portrait door swung shut after she climbed into the Gryffindor common room, someone who was sitting by the fire put down a book and determinedly walked over to her. Ginny swallowed nervously and fiddled with Harry's cloak as she waited for the inquisition she knew was to come.

"Ginny," Hermione said sternly when she reached the younger girl, "where were you." Fighting off the feeling that she was being scolded by an angry mother for being out after curfew, Ginny opened her mouth to reply. Hermione interrupted her before she began. "And before you even think of saying you were in the library, which I know is where you said you were going to be and why you needed Harry's cloak, you should know that I went to the library and I know that you weren't there."

The young Gryffindor paled and stared at Hermione. She knew her friend wasn't trying to be nosy or in search of gossip; Hermione was only trying to protect Ginny and keep her from harm. However, Ginny wished at the moment that Hermione didn't care so much and would leave her alone. Ginny had already had quite a night. Battling wits with Hermione, who had no doubt been waiting up for her for hours and planning her approach and theories, would definitely not turn out in Ginny's favor right now.

"Look, Hermione, I know you asked me what I've been doing before, back around Christmas, but I can't tell you," Ginny pleaded. "Honestly, you don't have to be worried about it."

"How can you say that, Ginny!" Hermione said, worry plain on her face. "You've been sneaking out of here quite often now. Don't think I haven't noticed; I know you've left here before, always around midnight." Ginny's lip trembled. Just how much _did_ Hermione know? Hopefully no more than she had already let on to. "Ginny, I know I'm your friend, and as a friend I should respect your decisions, but…sometimes as a friend I also have to protect you from them."

Her shoulders slumping, Ginny walked past Hermione and sat down on the couch. She put her forehead in her right hand and sat Harry's cloak on the plump red cushion beside her. Hermione took a seat in a chair across from Ginny.

"Hermione, I know you're only trying to help," Ginny said, looking up, "but please believe me when I say I can't tell you."

"Why?" Hermione asked, struggling to understand. "If there's nothing wrong, then why can't you tell me? Or Ron? Does anybody else know?"

Well, the answer to that question was yes. Quite a few people knew now, though only Draco knew the extent of their midnight excursions. Miss Reina and now Narcissa Malfoy knew of Draco's and Ginny's acquaintance.

"Yes," Ginny answered hesitantly. "Others know."

"But – I – who?" Hermione asked, her face a muddle of confusion. Ginny's sad eyes gave Hermione her answer. The Head Girl sighed. "I just don't see why I can't know about this," she shook her head.

"Hermione, trust me, if there was anything wrong with what I'm doing, you'd be the first person I'd come to," Ginny said truthfully. "I mean, you're like my sister; I'd never keep anything from you that you should know. But this isn't really dangerous and there's…nothing wrong with it."

Ginny turned away, sighing. What she said was only partly true. She had already been proven that it _was_ dangerous, and she wasn't entirely sure what she and Draco were doing was right, at least when it came to the creature down under the tunnel, and helping rescue the wife of a Death Eater, while courageous and morally justifiable, was probably not very smart. In fact, if Lucius ever learned of where Narcissa was, Ginny would be in more trouble than she cared to think about. And Merlin, if her parents ever found out what she was up to…

Hermione was looking at Ginny sadly. Seeing her expression, Ginny said, "Hermione, if I could tell you, I would. It's just that…I don't know," Ginny sighed. "I suppose it would ruin everything."

"But Ginny, you can't just keep sneaking around," Hermione said. "I mean, I know I'm your friend and all, but it is against the rules."

"So put me in detention!" Ginny said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Do your Head Girl thing; I don't care. Just…I don't know," Ginny said, closing her eyes. Hermione was silent. When Ginny looked at her friend, she saw tears in Hermione's eyes.

"Oh, Hermione," Ginny started, suddenly realizing how incredibly rude she had just been, "I'm sorry!" Her eyes widened. "I – I don't know what came over me."

"No, it's alright, Ginny," Hermione sniffed, standing up. "I-I'll just go do my…my 'Head Girl thing'."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest but before she could say anything, Hermione rushed up the girls' staircase. Ginny's anger boiled at her own stupidity. What made her say that to Hermione? Her friend was only trying to make sure Ginny was alright. And what did she do? Push her away, insult her. Ginny stared at the couch. She had a strong, sudden desire to grab the fluffy red pillow sitting next to her and rip the stuffing out of it. She knew that it would accomplish nothing except to satisfy her anger, but still she fought hard to control herself.

Instead of ripping out the stuffing, however, Ginny simply knocked the pillow off the couch, grabbed Harry's cloak, and desolately walked up to her room.

* * *

That same night, miles away, tucked within the attic of an old house that was rotting in certain places, a man sat slumped over his desk, fidgeting with his latest invention. The silver contraption whizzed around his hand in circles. It whistled a few times and started vibrating. Then the invention suddenly stopped, hovered weakly in the air a moment longer, and then fell with a clatter to the wood floor. Sighing, the man brushed it aside with his foot, adding it to the pile of other failed products in the corner.

The room he was in was simple, in his opinion. There was a small cot in the corner, next to the pile he had just added another failed invention to, and on the opposite wall was the desk he sat in. Taking up the other two walls and almost all of the free space on the floor were metal tables that held various tubes, cauldrons, potion ingredients, books, and many different half-finished products, some of which were emitting puffs of colored smoke. One cauldron in particular had a bright purple substance in it that bubbled on occasion.

The man sitting at the desk stood and stretched, trying hard not to yawn. He desperately wanted to sleep, but Carl would be reporting soon; sleep would have to wait. Lately, Carl had been seeing more action than normal. Just recently there had been some disturbing news from Carl, whom had been so dubbed soon after being created.

Only a few days ago, Carl had caught one of the trespassers, the girl this time, down in his tunnel. Carl had chained her just at the end of the tunnel, but when they had returned, the girl was gone. He couldn't be really mad at Carl, who had tried, but still, he was disappointed that they hadn't been able to question her.

Just then, the door opened and in walked Carl. His eyes were green, a good sign. There must be no bad reports.

"What is the news this time, Carl?" the man asked with a sigh.

_Nothing new._

"That's what I thought," came the reply, as the man sat back down. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the desk. "You've know idea how she got away, then?"

_She had help, I think. The boy must've come after her and gotten her while I came for you._

"An unfortunate problem, yes, but one that was probably unavoidable," he replied. Frowning, he looked up at Carl. "Do you know who they are or how they know about the tunnel?"

_They are students from the school; that is all I know._

"What do they look like?"

_The girl has bright red hair and brown eyes. The boy has blonde hair and grey eyes._

The man's head shot up, interested. "Blonde hair and grey eyes, you say?"

_Yes._

"There aren't many students with grey eyes. This will help. Yes," he drew out the last word in a whisper, standing up and pacing the room, all thoughts of sleep gone with this new bit of information. "You've done well, Carl, very well." Suddenly he stopped, turning to look at Carl who was still standing in the doorway.

"What House are they in?"

Carl said nothing.

The man frowned. "I mean, were they wearing the Hogwarts robes?"

_Yes._

"What crest was on them? Did you see a crest? There are four of them. One with a lion, one with a badger, one with an eagle, and one with a snake."

_I didn't notice._

The man sighed angrily and turned away again. "That is unfortunate. But again, not your fault, Carl. Next time, if there is a next time, be sure to get a good look at each of them."

_I will._

They were silent for a while. Then Carl spoke again.

_What of the boy we have?_

The man sighed. "He's not working like I had hoped. The first two boys were of no good, too young, I think. Now that we have an older one, there's still not much change. It's a little better, but not much." He frowned. "Carl, I've just had an idea." When Carl offered no comment, the man continued. "Perhaps we've been going about this all the wrong way. Maybe instead of a boy, what we need is a girl."

_Maybe._

"I think that is the way we need to go. Yes, I'll start making the necessary plans."

_Then we'll be returning the boy?_

"What? No," the man shook his head, brought out his thoughts by Carl. "No, we'll keep him. He may still be of some use to us. Besides, I'd hate to modify _his _memory. The other two I had no problem with, but this boy's thoughts are incredible. Did you know that his parents were tortured into insanity? It's fascinating," the man repeated, shaking his head in wonder. "No, there's still more I wish to know from him before we do it."

For a little while longer, as Carl stood by obediently, the man sat at his desk and made more plans. Just as the clock struck midnight, he looked up. A new thought struck him concerning the two intruders they had been having a problem with. He bit his lip in concern. Scratching his head, he looked up.

"Carl, how did those two students find out about us?"

_I don't know._

"Well they must be getting down here using my key, the one we thought we'd lost," the man said. "It's just a good thing I made two." He looked up with a sudden grin. "We'd be in a real mess if I hadn't, huh?"

Carl only blinked.

* * *

On Monday morning, Ginny got up extra early. Even though she was ready to go down for breakfast, she waited in the common room. She wanted to wait up for Hermione and try to apologize for the other night. Ginny still couldn't believe what had made her talk the way she had to Hermione; it must've been because she was tired and confused about Draco, but still, Ginny had never gone off on her friend like that.

Yesterday, Ginny had tried talking to Hermione, but the latter kept avoiding Ginny. Ginny and Hermione had never had a real fight; they had disagreed over things many times, but the two girls were very close. Whenever Ron got annoyed with Ginny and tried shooing her away, Hermione was always the one to stick up for her, which usually ended up in a fight between Ron and Hermione. But no matter how hard Ginny tried to talk to Hermione, Hermione would never answer back. Ginny had ended up going to her room in frustration and working on a Herbology essay Professor Sprout had given them.

Ginny stood up when she saw Lavendar coming down the stairs. "Hey, Lavendar, is Hermione coming down soon?"

"She already left," Lavendar said. "She was walking out the door right when I was getting out of the shower. Why?" she asked, but Ginny was already heading out of the common room, her bag of books slung over her shoulder.

Ginny knew straight where to go. Whenever Hermione was mad at Ron, she went to the library to study her anger off. Ginny hoped that Hermione wasn't as mad at her as she usually got at Ron, but there was no telling.

When Ginny reached the library, she searched up and down the isles but they were empty. Madame Pince stared suspiciously after Ginny as she left; normally the only person in the library this early was Hermione, if even her, so Ginny could understand the librarian's attitude; but still, Ginny couldn't help but be annoyed. What was so wrong if she actually _did_ want to go to the library that early?

The next place Ginny checked was the Great Hall. Sure enough, Hermione was sitting with her nose in a book, absentmindedly nibbling on a piece of toast. Ginny sat down on Hermione's right and Hermione looked up. When she saw it was Ginny, she started reading again without a word.

"Look, Hermione, I'm sorry," Ginny said sincerely. "I didn't mean what I said. I don't even know why I said it, honestly! I was just all high-strung because I was tired and stuff."

Hermione didn't say anything and Ginny sighed. She grabbed a plate and without really caring, put a piece of sausage on it. She set the plate down and thought about how to make Hermione forgive her.

"Hermione, I'm sorry," Ginny repeated, her voice a little higher than normal. "You can't stay mad at me forever. I mean, I said I was sorry!"

"Sorry for what?" her brother Ron asked as he took a seat on Hermione' left. Ginny looked up and saw Harry sit down next to her.

"Uh, nothing…" Ginny said uncomfortably. She didn't think Hermione would tell Harry and Ron about Ginny sneaking out no matter how mad Hermione was at her, but Ginny couldn't continue trying to apologize in front of the two boys. Come to think of it, Ginny didn't quite know why Harry was sitting next to her. That simple action would have just a few months ago caused Ginny to blush and stammer, but now, Ginny simply didn't even care.

For about ten minutes, the four of them ate in silence, with the occasional talk between Harry and Ron. During a lull, Ginny reached into her bag.

"Hey, Harry, I have your cloak," she said, handing the Invisibility Cloak to Harry, who pocketed it with a nod.

"Thanks," he said. "Did you get much studying done last night with it?"

"Yeah, lots," Ginny said. Hermione looked up pointedly at Ginny, who looked down at her plate. Ginny hated lying, but if Ron found out that Ginny was sneaking out at night, she'd be in a load of trouble. First she'd have her brother to deal with, and then Ron would probably owl their mother, and there's no telling what Molly Weasley would do. Then what Ginny was actually doing would eventually come out and their wrath would be so great that Ginny would probably never see daylight again.

Abruptly Hermione stood up and started walking out of the Great Hall.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked.

"I have an Arithmancy class to get to," Hermione called over her shoulder. Harry frowned and glanced back and forth between Ginny and Hermione.

"You two aren't fighting are you?" Harry asked.

Ginny shook her head. "No," she said, trying to sound convincing. Harry was still looking suspicious and Ginny decided now would be a good time for her to leave too.

"Well, I have class as well," she said, standing up. "So…yeah. I have to go."

Ginny quickly walked out of the Great Hall. She could hear Harry asking Ron "what all that was about" but all she heard from Ron's answer was something about "crazy females."

* * *

"Hey, Draco!" Draco turned around in the hallway, looking for whoever was calling his name. "Draco!" Draco cringed as he recognized the simpering voice of Pansy Parkinson. With his eyes searching through the crowd, he saw Pansy heading straight towards him, waving an envelope in the air. He was already a few minutes late for his Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. He sighed. This had better not take too long.

"There you are, Draco," Pansy said, fluttering her eyelashes. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"I'll bet you have," Draco muttered under his breath, but the girl didn't hear him."

"I have a letter for you," Pansy said in a sing-song voice, ending with her lips puckered towards him in an attempt at seduction.

"Who from?" Draco asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

"Professor Dumbledore," Pansy answered innocently. Draco reached for the letter but the girl held it behind her, out of reach. Pansy tsked. "Uh-uh," she said as if scolding a child. "I'll need a kiss before I give you the letter." She closed her eyes and pursed her lips for Draco expectantly.

Two young Hufflepuff boys stopped near them. One, a boy with blonde hair, pointed at Pansy. "Ha-ha," the boy laughed, "that girl's acting like my Auntie Josephine." Then the boy doubled over in laugher.

As they both walked away, the other boy said, "Didn't your mum say over the summer that your Aunt Josephine was a sacred woman?"

"No! She said she was a_ scarlet_ woman, John!" Then both boys started cackling with laughter. They looked over their shoulders and saw Pansy still waiting for a kiss and Draco watching them with an open mouth and they scurried away, still snickering.

_That's it, _thought Draco with disgust._ I've seriously got to lose this girl._

Then, without a word at Pansy, Draco grabbed the letter out of her hand and stalked off. He heard the girl's indignant huff of annoyance but he was already busy opening his letter.

_Dear Draco,_

_Please come to my office during your free period after lunch. The password is 'Ice Mice.'_

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Frowning, Draco folded the letter and put it in his pocket. He had no idea what it could be about. As far as he could tell, he hadn't done anything wrong. For a quick moment, he thought that perhaps the Headmaster knew of Draco's saving his mother and wanted to talk to him about it, but Draco pushed that ridiculous thought out of his mind, though uncertainty was still in his eyes. No, Dumbledore couldn't possibly know about that. It must be something else.

_Well, _Draco thought,_ I'll just have to wait until after lunch to find out.

* * *

That afternoon right after lunch, Draco left his friends and walked towards Professor Dumbledore's office. More than a few students stared at him when he stopped in front of the stone gargoyles, and Draco whispered the password so that nobody else would hear. He was glad when the gargoyles closed after him, shutting out the prying eyes._

When he reached the Headmaster's door, Draco knocked.

"Come in," came Dumbledore's voice, and Draco walked in. Professor Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk and he motioned for Draco to take a seat on the opposite side. Draco sat, anxiously wondering what Dumbledore might want. Some of the paintings on the wall muttered to each other when they saw Draco, and he heard his father mentioned with distaste.

"Would you like anything? Tea? Pumpkin juice?" Dumbledore asked with his wand ready to produce anything that Draco might ask for. Draco shook his head, hoping that Dumbledore didn't call him up here to offer him refreshments.

Seeing that Draco didn't need anything, Professor Dumbledore asked, "How are you?"

Draco shrugged. "Alright, I guess."

"And at home? I trust everything with your parents is fine?"

Draco swallowed and looked at his Headmaster. He couldn't possibly know, could he? "Yeah," Draco answered. "It's great."

"I see," Dumbledore sighed, folding his hands under his chin. "Well, Draco, I have asked you a question before and so far you have avoided giving me a real answer. If I ask it again, will you tell me your answer?"

Draco remained silent, staring at Dumbledore. He knew what the Headmaster was going to ask, and now Draco wished he were anywhere else.

"What is your greatest fear?" asked Dumbledore, intently looking at Draco. The boy's eyebrows creased in a mixture of annoyance and confusion.

"Why do you keep asking me this?" Draco countered.

Dumbledore sighed and sat forward. After a pause, he said, "A few months ago, I gave Professor Trelawney a set of questions for every student taking her class. She was to instruct the students to answer them and that the answers would then help determine another set of questions for each student. One of your first questions was 'What are you most afraid of?' but your answer was simply 'I don't fear anything.'" Dumbledore paused and looked hard at Draco. "I would like your answer. Everybody fears something," he finished quietly.

"Well I don't," Draco said, trying to hide his uncertainty. His answer, Draco knew, was completely false. There was plenty he feared, but as a Malfoy, he wasn't allowed to show any. He couldn't let Dumbledore even begin to suspect the depth of Draco's fear.

"What is your greatest fear, Draco Malfoy?" Professor Dumbledore asked once again.

"You already know my answer," Draco said. "Sir," he added, never breaking eye contact with the Headmaster.

Before Dumbledore could ask him anything else, Draco stood. He walked to the door and opened it. Draco looked back once to see if Professor Dumbledore was going to say something, but the man was merely staring back sadly at him.

Draco hoped that the turmoil in his eyes wasn't visible to Albus Dumbledore as he walked out of the Headmaster's office.

* * *

"Tulson!" Draco shouted, pulling his broom to a stop up in the air. "Pass the Quaffle to Zabini already! If you lot want to start winning games, you've got to play _as a team!"_ Draco shook his head in frustration. So far, their Quidditch practice that night hadn't been going very well. All three of the Chasers hadn't been passing the Quaffle as they should, and their Keeper Warren Quinn hadn't even managed to block half of the shots the Chasers took at the goal posts. Also, Crabbe and Goyle hadn't done well with keeping the Bludgers trained on the Chasers either; Alan Howry had even grabbed Goyle's bat and threatened to hit him over the head with it, causing Draco to fly towards them and start yelling again. And to top it all off, it was raining.

The fact that it was raining this early in February was surprising everybody, but the temperature had started to rise over the last few days. The rain was turning the snow that remained on the ground into a slushy nightmare and everybody's spirits were low. The rain was cold and though it fell lightly, everybody was soaked within a few minutes.

"You're one to talk, Malfoy," Aidan Tulson retorted, flying towards Draco. "At least we've been _playing _Quidditch. You abandoned us! We're in last place because of you. Who are you to lecture us on being a team?"

"Because," Draco said, his fists balling in anger, "I'm the captain. I know I let you all down but now I'm here to turn this team around."

Tulson looked around and saw Crabbe and Goyle idly pretending to swordfight with their clubs, Zabini and Howry watching them with interest, and Quinn flying around in small circles near the goalposts, bored. Tulson turned back to Draco. "What team," he scoffed. He shook his head at Draco and started descending.

"Tulson!" Draco shouted after him, but the boy didn't stop. "Get back here!" Draco stared after him, anger coursing through him. A part of him understood where Tulson was coming from. Draco _had_ abandoned the team right after Christmas, but now he was back. Draco wanted to help and he wanted to win.

"Team!" Draco shouted again, turning his broom around. "Over here!" He waited as the five other players flew over to him. They waited expectantly for whatever Draco had to say. "Practice is over for the night," Draco said exhaustedly. He thought he should probably say more, something to lift their spirits, but he couldn't think of anything.

As they started flying towards the ground, Draco called out. "Wait!" he said. They stopped and Draco flew down to them. He blinked the water out of his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. The rest of the team was quiet so Draco continued. "I'm sorry I left you. I- I was just…I couldn't…" Draco sighed again. How was he to explain to them? What reason was he supposed to give for his absence? Just about all of them had parents who were Death Eaters and they knew how Lord Voldemort favored Lucius; that was one reason why they feared Draco so much. That, and the fact that many thought Draco was a Death Eater himself. Though their fear sometimes played to Draco's advantage, he didn't want anybody to be afraid of him because they thought him a Death Eater.

"Look," he continued, "I messed up. But I won't be doing it again. Now if we can get the team back in shape, or," he added as he watched Aidan Tulson walk off the field, "back together, we still have a shot. We're probably too far behind to actually win the Cup this year," he admitted grudgingly, "and I take the blame for that one. But four of us are leaving the team this year. Do we really want to be remembered as the team that finished last?" Crabbe shook his head heavily and Blaise listened on with a hard look on his face, but the rest of the team said and did nothing. "Our next game is against Gryffindor." A wry smile worked its way onto Draco's face and a small laugh escaped his lips. "Gryffindor," he repeated with a shake of his head. "We all know how much we like to beat them."

"Yeah," Blaise said, grinning suddenly. The rest of the team relaxed a bit on their brooms.

"We can still beat them," Draco said. "We can beat them all. I know you have it in you. But all I need is for you guys to forgive me. If we can't even talk to each other, there's no way in hell we're going to be able to win the next game, or the game after that, or the game after that. We'll keep losing. And I think we've all had enough of that."

"You got that right," mumbled Warren Quinn.

Draco grinned. "So what say you?" he asked. He brushed his hair out of his face and waited anxiously for the team's answer.

After a slight pause, Alan Howry, the youngest on the team, spoke up. "I say we get this show on the road and beat those bloody Gryffindors!"

"Yeah!" shouted Goyle, pumping his Beater's club in the air.

"We'll beat 'em all!" Crabbe added.

"We'll beat them so bad, they'll wonder how they ever beat us in the past," Quinn said with a laugh.

Draco watched the rest of the team with a grin on his face. "Good," he said quietly. He didn't think anybody heard them; they were all loudly starting to make their way off the field. Blaise flew up beside him. For a few moments they both watched the rest of the team in silence. Then Blaise spoke up.

"Looks like we got our captain back," he said.

"Yeah," Draco replied. "Looks like you did." They both descended.

"Good," said Blaise as both boys got off their brooms and started walking off the field and into the changing room. "Because I was starting to think that I'd have to take your place," he finished lightly.

"You wish, Zabini," Draco laughed. "I'm irreplaceable."

"Sure you are," Blaise said, rolling his eyes."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Draco asked, pretending to be offended.

"Oh, nothing," Blaise let out his breath, feigning innocence. He shrugged his shoulders, becoming serious again. "Hey, listen, I'll talk to Tulson. He's not planning on leaving the team. I know how much he loves it. It's just…" Blaise trailed off with a sigh. "I mean, _you _know his father's a Death Eater. I don't think things are going so great at his home, with his family and all. And then he's in danger of failing Transfiguration, so he's down about that. Things are just hard for him right now." Blaise looked at Draco. "I reckon they are for all of us nowadays."

"Yeah," Draco added quietly. "I suppose they are." He sat down on one of the benches and pulled out his regular clothes.

"I'll see you later," Blaise said, putting his broom away and walking out of the room, still in his Quidditch robes.

"See you," Draco said. He looked around the empty room with a sigh. Blaise had it right when he said times were tough. Draco wished that all he had to worry about was Quidditch and if he'd graduate from Hogwarts, but right now, those seemed trivial. He wondered if he'd even live to graduate. Some part of him told him that things were teetering on the edge of normalcy and that at any moment, the world as he knew it was going to crash about his shoulders. It was only a matter of time until his father came looking for Draco, and whether his mother would stay hidden forever was debatable. Then there was the whole matter of things with Voldemort. As soon as school was out, Draco would either be forced into becoming a Death Eater or he'd be killed. Maybe both.

Blaise definitely had it right when he said it was hard.

Draco was just about to open the door and step out into the rain when the door burst open and in stepped Lucius Malfoy. Draco jumped back, reaching for his wand. Instead of attacking Draco, though, Lucius shook the water off his head and stepped forward. He looked preoccupied, as if he didn't even realize his son was standing just in front of him.

Then Lucius turned and looked at Draco. The man's long hair, normally clean and kept, was all rough and knot-filled as if it hadn't been brushed in days. Draco kept his hand on his wand. He knew exactly what Lucius was here for; Draco had been prepared for this. His father had finally discovered that Narcissa was missing and now he was here to question Draco, perhaps even force him to find her. Draco knew he'd never give away his mother's location, but he was apprehensive about how far Lucius would go to obtain the information.

"Hello Father," Draco said warily. "What brings you here?" _Best to act indifferent to it all,_ mused Draco.

Lucius looked at Draco, his mouth working furiously. He appeared as if he was ashamed to be coming to Draco. The boy wondered then just how long his father had been searching for Narcissa, and he felt a moment's bit of glory at how he had fooled Lucius.

"It seems," began Lucius carefully, "that your mother is gone."

"Gone?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrows. "When?"

"Sunday," Lucius replied bitterly. "She disappeared Sunday."

"Maybe she went to the summer home in Cornwall. It wouldn't be the first time she's gone there in winter," suggested Draco.

"She's not there," said Lucius roughly, looking intently at the ground. He ran his hands through his hair and frowned. "She's not there…"

"Well," Draco said, "perhaps she – uh…" Draco shrugged. "I don't know."

"Don't give me that, boy," Lucius suddenly said viciously. He walked up to Draco, who stood his ground even though he wanted to back away. "I know you know where she is."

"Father, I haven't the –"

"No!" screeched Lucius. Draco blinked at the bit of spittle that flew in his face. "No, no, no, no," Lucius laughed, his eyes wide. "Don't give me that. You were trying to sneak her out during Christmas; I know you were. You're the one who's got her. You're the one who's hiding her."

"And why would I want her?" asked Draco, letting his anger show. "What is she to me? She's never been a mother to me." Draco looked pointedly at his father. "She's never taken care of me. She's never wanted me. She's never loved me." Father and son were silent as they stared at each other, no more than three feet separating them. "So tell me, Father," Draco said, taking a step towards the man, "why would I take her from you?"

Lucius didn't answer him. Draco saw his mouth twitch, but he doubted it was in amusement. Lucius cleared his throat. "You know and I know that you are no match for me," Lucius said almost lazily. "Do not think that you can keep anything from me. And I mean _anything._ If I wish to know something from you, I will find it."

"There's nothing to find," Draco said. His father's eyes narrowed as he studied his son.

"If I find," said Lucius dangerously, "that you had anything to do with Narcissa's disappearance –and believe me, I have no reason to believe you _didn't_ have anything to do with it– then you'll wish you were never born, boy."

"I'm not a boy," Draco said angrily.

"And what are you?" laughed Lucius. "A man?" he asked, roughly pushing Draco backwards. "You think you're a man, Draco? No, you are and always will be a boy. You are too immature to be anything else. Remember that."

Lucius then turned around and swiftly walked back out into the rain. Draco watched his father's abrupt leave with a thumping heart. He had no doubt that his father was lying when he said he'd find out what Draco knew. Lucius wouldn't hesitate to use Veritaserum on him. If he did, not only Draco was in deep trouble, but so would a bunch of other people.

For one, his mother would be dragged back to Malfoy Manor and if she wasn't killed point-blank, she'd be locked up for good. Then there was Reina, whom Lucius wouldn't hesitate to kill for sheltering Narcissa.

And then there was Ginny. Draco's heart jumped into his throat when he thought of what Lucius would do when he found out how much Ginny Weasley had been helping Draco. She'd be dead before she knew what was happening.

Draco sat down and put his head in his hands. No matter what Lucius did, Draco would always have to live in fear of the ones he cared for. That was why over the years, Draco made sure to never get too close to anybody. It would save them for becoming Lucius's targets, and it would also save Draco from feeling too bad if anything happened to them.

But Draco knew that if Reina was harmed because she helped Draco, he didn't know what he'd do. He knew that if his mother or Ginny were killed, he'd never be able to forgive himself. In the past five months, he had let people into his life and into his heart. He was responsible for what happened to them. He cared about them now.

Draco blinked. The blunt realization that he did care for Ginny finally hit Draco. He loved his mother. Deep down, Draco knew that he always did. Now he knew that she loved him back, and he was ecstatic about that. But Ginny was a different story. He was supposed to hate her, and she him. Draco couldn't bring himself to do that anymore. Instead, he found himself caught up in her life, wondering about her during the day, and thinking about her, wishing he could see her.

Earlier, thoughts like that would've had Draco punching himself and shivering in horror, but now Draco just blinked. His face hardened as his thoughts were drawn back to Lucius. The man would stop at nothing to find Narcissa. He would destroy as many lives as possible to find her, and those lives would belong to Draco, Ginny, Reina, and anybody else who got in Lucius's way.

Draco couldn't let it happen. He couldn't let Lucius use Veritaserum or any other means to find out where Narcissa was. But what could Draco do to stop it? Only one option presented itself to Draco and it didn't lift his spirits any. The only thing he could think to do was to erase his memory starting at the beginning of the year. He'd have to tell Ginny and she'd probably try to figure out a different way, but it's what Draco knew he had to do. If his memory was erased and reconstructed, it'd be like he had never befriended Ginny, never met Reina, and never rescued his mother. That way when Lucius slipped Draco some Veritaserum –and Draco had no doubt that that was what his father would do– there was no way that Draco could give away any information.

Draco sighed. He wished there was another way, but deep down he knew this was the only one. His eyes started to fill with tears but he blinked them away. He would never get the chance to get to know his mother better. He'd go to say goodbye, but that would be it. Narcissa Malfoy would never see her son grow up or be happy.

And Draco would never get to see if his friendship with Ginny would evolve into anything more. He laughed bitterly. Even if he were able to keep his memory, there was no way he could be anything more than friends with Ginny. If his father were to learn of it, Ginny would be dead anyway. _Hell, _Draco thought,_ being just friends with Ginny is still too dangerous._

Draco felt a well of anger boil up inside him, but it died away just as soon as it came, replaced now by a satisfied feeling. If he did this, then maybe he'd right some of the wrong he'd done by killing Aidan Grant. Even if he didn't know it in the future, he'd have fixed some of the damage he'd created. At least he'd be able to save the ones he cared about.

Because that's what love did.

And that's what Draco would do.

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**A/N:** Just so you know, I'm not very happy with this chapter. I definitely don't count it as one of my best, though I kind of like the scene between Draco and his Quidditch team. And I apologize for the typos that are probably in this chapter. I'm pretty sick right now and have been spending most of my time writing, (which may be part of the reason that this chapter isn't as good as past ones, because I wrote it when I'm sick) but because I amsick, I didn't do so well proof-reading it. So please forgive me for that. And you know what I'm sure would make me feel better? You got it…reviews.

Lauren


	32. Remember Me

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

**Chapter 32: Remember Me**

Ginny woke up early Tuesday morning to an owl tapping at the window next to her bed. Grumbling, Ginny pulled the blankets closer around her neck. Maybe if she just ignored it, the owl would go away. If the sun wasn't even up yet, there was no way that Ginny was getting up, owl or not.

"Ginny," whined Gina from across the room. "Will you shut that bloody owl up? We're trying to sleep."

Moaning pitifully, Ginny sat up and slipped her feet out of bed and onto the cold, hard floor. She shivered as she opened the window and a blast of cold air burst into the room. In flew a snow-covered owl. As the owl landed on her bed and shook its feathers, Ginny saw a folded up piece of parchment tied onto the owl's leg with a dark green ribbon. She suddenly realized who the letter was from and she eagerly undid it from the owl's leg.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said softly, patting the owl's head. "I don't have anything for you." Ginny watched as the owl flew back out the window and was brushed aside by a strong gust of wind, and then the owl rose back up and flew off into the sky that was starting to turn dark blue as the sun slowly woke up.

After Ginny shut the window, she got back into bed, pulled the curtains around her, and sat cross-legged. Excitedly she opened the letter.

_Dear Ginny,_

_Come to the Astrology tower tonight around midnight. Make sure you're not followed. There's something important we have to do._

_Draco_

Ginny frowned. The Astrology tower? They hadn't met up there since much earlier in the year when they'd first agreed to work together. And what did Draco mean by 'something important?'

Sighing as she folded the letter up, Ginny looked out the window. The weather had turned chill again and already the wind was fiercely spinning the snow through the air. She hoped the snow wouldn't continue on. They had a Quidditch game to play against Slytherin on Saturday and snow would not help visibility at all.

Ginny knew that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, and even if she did, she'd only have about an hour anyway. So instead, Ginny took a shower, got dressed, and went downstairs to work on some homework before breakfast.

* * *

That night, at ten till midnight, Ginny left the Gryffindor tower. Thankfully the common room was empty, and Ginny was especially happy that Hermione was nowhere to be found. The Head Girl would be even more disappointed and upset with Ginny if she saw her leave once again.

Ginny hadn't been able to concentrate at all during the day; her thoughts had kept running back to Draco. Though Ginny had never told Draco this, she now considered him a friend. Ginny thought back to the beginning of the year. During the train ride to school, when she and Harry had been in a compartment together and Draco along with Crabbe and Goyle had come in looking for trouble, Harry had punched Draco in the nose. And then, shortly after their arrival at school, she and Draco had ended up with a detention together in which they'd shot insults quite fiercely at each other. Ginny laughed. Things were so different now. Just a few days ago she'd helped Draco rescue his mother. Ginny knew now that Draco was never the person she'd thought he'd been. All those years when he'd verbally tortured her, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and everybody else…that had never been the real Draco. Sure, he probably wasn't the nicest guy in Hogwarts, but he was nothing like the Death Eater Ginny had once accused him of being.

Ginny laughed again as she thought of how she had once believed him to be a Death Eater like his father. She was ashamed now that she had partnered up with him in an attempt to make Harry like her, and she was even more ashamed of herself that she had believed Draco to be the one kidnapping the students when she had no proof other than her own prejudice against him. She had been so blind. All this time Draco was right there in front of her and she had wanted to blame him for the crimes at the school, all so that Harry Potter would finally see her as Ginny Weasley instead of Ron's little sister.

Draco wasn't at all like the person people thought him to be. He wasn't evil, he didn't worship Voldemort, and while he did hold a certain dislike for muggleborns, he didn't want to murder them for breathing the same air he did. Draco didn't want Lucius Malfoy as a father and didn't like the way his father acted. Though Draco looked like his father, inside he was completely different. Ginny had seen father and son together in Diagon Alley and while there, Draco acted every bit the bully his father wanted him to be. Ginny had always supposed, spurred on by Ron and Harry's hate of him, that Draco was just like his father. Now she knew that that wasn't true. She knew that Lucius tortured Draco when he didn't do what he was instructed, that Draco hated every minute he listened to his father, and that Lucius took away the most important thing in Draco's life, his mother.

Her own anger was called upon in Draco's defense. How Lucius could be so selfish, Ginny could never understand. Every child was supposed to grow up with caring, loving parents; she herself had two amazing parents that she would never trade for anything. While Draco would never have a good father figure, he would have had a wonderful mother if it hadn't been for Lucius's fear and temper. Draco would've turned out an even better person with his mother's guidance. He would've known how to stand up to Lucius and Draco wouldn't have been misguided all his life. He might have been able to escape who knew what kind of torture he'd gone through his entire life.

There was still something that Draco wasn't telling Ginny, something that had happened to him over Christmas. For a while, Ginny had thought that it was the discovery that his mother was under the Imperious, but she suspected that it was something worse, something Draco still wasn't ready to share. And maybe he'd never be ready, but that was okay with Ginny. She knew Draco now, and she knew that if he ever needed to talk about it, she'd be ready to listen.

Ginny's heart was racing in a way it hadn't since her crush on Harry as she opened the door to the Astrology tower. She saw him straight away. He was sitting at the desk and there were several candles lit. The snow had ceased to stop all day and all that was visible through the windows was a white mess. Draco had made sure that the room had plenty of light. Ginny could clearly see him though he seemed to not have noticed her yet.

Draco was staring into the fire, just as Ginny had once done in this very room months ago. Ginny remained in the doorway, watching him. She saw his right hand travel up to his throat and grab something, fingering it as he continued to stare into the flames that jumped about. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that he was holding the ring she'd given him right before Christmas. A tiny smile came to her when she saw that he'd put it on a chain around his neck.

Ginny cleared her throat to get Draco's attention, and his head snapped to her in the doorway. He stood up quickly, almost as if he were unsure about what he should do, and Ginny came forward to stand before him. For the longest time Draco just looked at her. Ginny followed his eyes as they traveled up and down her body, all around her face, and finally coming to rest on her eyes. The girl saw sadness in Draco's eyes that she had never before seen, and her heart slipped a few notches. Ginny didn't like the finality she saw in his eyes, the resolution, and she suddenly was worried about what Draco called her up here for.

Smiling weakly, Ginny said, "I'm not going anywhere. Don't look as if you'll never see me again," she finished quietly, her brow creasing slightly.

Draco smiled sadly. "You may not be going anywhere, but in a way, I am."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, her smile fading. "Where are you going?"

Draco didn't answer her. He just continued to look down into her eyes, the sad smile still tugging at his lips. Ginny's heart thumped as he took a step closer to her. Now she could clearly see in his grey eyes the turmoil she had missed earlier. His eyes were glistening with tears, and as he blinked, one escaped and traveled down his cheek. Ginny's hand automatically reached up and brushed it away. That one act brought to mind the memory of how Draco had done the same for her back in the tunnel.

Ginny smiled uncertainly at him and took her hand away. The tears disappeared from Draco's eyes and as he closed the distance between them, he took her face in both of his hands and said, "Whatever happens, I want you to remember this, to remember me this way." Draco's eyes searched Ginny's as she stared back at him wide-eyed. "I wish I could have this memory too, but I can't. And for right now, for just this moment, f-for…" Draco's voice broke, and Ginny's eyes watered at the pain she saw in his eyes and heard in his voice. "For the first and last time, Ginny Weasley, I just want…" he trailed off with a sigh, brushing his thumb lazily under her eye.

Slowly, Draco leaned down and closed his eyes as his and Ginny's lips met. At first Ginny was too stunned to respond, but as Draco's lips moved against hers, an explosion of unfamiliar yet pleasurable emotions seemed to take place deep within her chest, and she forgot everything except what was happening right at the moment.

Ginny had never before been kissed like this, and she was slightly unsure about what to do, but she just did what she thought felt right. As her eyes fluttered shut, her hands traveled up Draco's chest and settled just behind his neck as she kissed him in return. Draco's hands, leaving a hot, tingling trail in their wake, slid from Ginny's face down her shoulders to rest on her back, pulling her closer. Ginny could feel her knees quiver beneath her, and she wondered in awe why Draco's simple touches could affect her so much.

One of Draco's hands moved up to grasp the back of Ginny's neck and pull her even closer, so close that their bodies touched. Ginny gasped against Draco's mouth and her eyes shot open. In one short glance she took in the nearness of Draco's face and was startled by it; she could have counted his eyelashes if she had wanted to. When Draco's hold on her tightened, her eyes fell shut again and she numbly felt her knees weaken even more, if that was possible. In the back of her mind she realized that she had wanted this to happen for a while now, had even imagined how Draco's kisses might feel. They were every bit as wonderful as she had thought they would be.

Surreally, even as Draco's lips moved gently over her own, Ginny thought to herself, _Does he kiss all girls like this? Or is he kissing me differently? And if so, why? _She sighed quietly against him as his tongue touched her bottom lip, and that was when Draco slowly pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.

Ginny didn't open her eyes right away; she wanted to savor the feel of his lips against hers. It was almost as if she were in a dream, so unexpected this night had turned out to be. When Ginny could feel Draco's breath on her face, though, she opened her eyes and looked up at him. He was gazing at her, the same sad look still in his eyes. Ginny pulled away slightly but Draco kept his arms around her.

"I wish it didn't have to be like this," Draco said. "I wish it could be different."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Ginny asked as she found her voice. She was still trying to fully take in what had happened this night, and now Draco wasn't making any sense at all. What did he wish could be different? Did he regret kissing her already?

Draco sighed and let his arms drop away from Ginny. He turned and walked back to the desk, placing one hand on it. "My father came again," Draco said.

Ginny sucked in her breath. If Lucius Malfoy had come to the school, then he must certainly have found out about Narcissa. "Well," she began, "what did he do?"

"Asked questions," Draco said, turning back around to face Ginny, who hadn't yet moved. "Asked where my mother was. He knows I have her. At least that's what he thinks."

"But did he find out?" Ginny asked fearfully. Draco shook his head.

"No, but he practically threatened to use Veritaserum on me," Draco said, not breaking eye contact with Ginny. She took an uncertain step towards him, but stopped. "Don't worry," he said quietly. "He won't find out."

"But how can you be so sure?"

"Because I've figured out a way where it'll be impossible for him to find out anything from me, even if he does use Veritaserum," Draco said as he leaned back against the desk.

Ginny frowned. She remembered what Draco had said before kissing her. _I wish I could have this memory too, but I can't. _She suddenly realized what Draco was planning to do and she shook her head, her eyes widening.

"No," she said, "you can't do it." Even Ginny was surprised by the desperation she heard in her voice. More tears came to her eyes, and she shook her head again. "You can't…"

Draco came forward and pulled Ginny towards him, hugging her. "I have to, Ginny," he said over the top of her head. "If I don't, he'll find out about my mother and he'll find out about you. I can't let that happen."

"But you can't get rid of your memories!" shouted Ginny, detaching herself from Draco. "There has to be another way!"

"There isn't," Draco said sadly.

Ginny shook her head again. "There has to be."

"I've thought about this, Ginny," Draco said. "There's no other way. Right here, tonight, you're going to reconstruct my memory, getting rid of everything that happened between us this year. Then tomorrow, you're going to go to my mother and explain it to her."

"Why can't you go to her yourself?" Ginny asked, hating the tears for being in her eyes and betraying her feelings.

"I wanted to," Draco said, "but Lucius was just at the school. He's probably in Hogsmede right now searching for her. My going there would just alert him; it'd be as good as taking him there myself. It has to be you."

"Well I won't do it," Ginny said, shaking her head again. "Besides, I couldn't possibly erase your memory and rebuild it. I don't know how."

Draco was silent as he watched Ginny. She turned away from him, wiping at her eyes. Her breathing was shaky. How could she possibly erase his memory? How could he expect her to do that? For one, like she had said, she didn't have the power to do that. And even if she did, she wouldn't. Ginny had just found something in him she never thought she'd find, and something told her Draco knew it was there too. There was no way she'd just wipe away his memory so that he'd go back to the old Draco, the one who still hated Ginny. She'd be left with the knowledge that he was so much more, that he was really a good person. She'd have to see him every day and know that she could never talk to him again, never see his smile or hear his laugh, never go back into the tunnel with him again. She'd have to find Neville on her own, without Draco by her side to help her and keep her out of trouble.

She couldn't do it without him.

A sob escaped Ginny's mouth, which she covered with her hand. She didn't want Draco to see her break down and she tried not to let him hear her cry, but the shaking of her shoulders must've given it away, for the next thing Ginny knew, Draco was behind her, pulling her around to face him. At first she wouldn't look at him, but Draco grabbed her chin and forced her eyes to meet his.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't want it to be like this. I don't want to hurt you."

"Then how can you expect me to do this?" Ginny demanded, her voice rising a few notches. "How can you expect this to not hurt me?" Tears came to Draco's eyes as he heard the heat in her voice. She shook her head and pulled away. "I won't do it. And what's more, I don't know_ how _to."

"But I do," said Draco, and Ginny's heart froze. "I looked it up in the library last night. I had to sneak into the Restricted Section, but I found out how." Draco walked back towards Ginny, but she shook her head and stepped backwards. Draco stopped. "Ginny, you have to do it. If you don't, my father will force me to take Veritaserum and then there's no stopping me from saying where my mother is, from telling him how I got her, and from telling him who helped me." Draco looked at her helplessly. "He'll find out about you, and I won't be able to stop him from hurting you. I can't let it happen."

"Yes you can," Ginny said, her voice quivering. "I'll be fine."

"No you won't," Draco said harshly, his voice betraying him. "You won't," he shook his head. "Look, I'm doing this for you, for my mother!"

"I don't need a hero!" Ginny shouted through her tears.

"I'm not trying to be one!" Draco shouted back, his own anger showing. "But I can't live knowing that the ones I care about are in danger. And no matter how hard I try, I can't save you from him."

"Yes you can," Ginny said. "You can stand up to him. You're better than him, Draco. You can beat him."

"Why should you have so much faith in me?" Draco asked. "I've never stood up to him before. Never." He looked away, his mouth working angrily to stop more tears from coming to his eyes. "I – I did something," he said. "Over Christmas. I did it because I couldn't stand up to him. And if I couldn't stop myself from doing that, then there's no way I can resist the Veritaserum."

"I know you can."

Draco shook his head. "No, this is the only way. I've made up my mind about this, Ginny. You can't change it."

"Well you can't force me to do it!" Ginny continued stubbornly, folding her arms across her chest. "You can't force me and I won't do it!"

Draco stepped forward, anger flashing through his eyes. His face softened when he saw her chin trembling, the tear stains on her cheeks, and the fresh tears gathering in her eyes. "Ginny, please," Draco said gently, taking her hands in his. "If…if you care about me at all, then please do this one thing for me."

Ginny looked away, trying to find some way out of this. A fresh sob escaped her, but she swallowed the ones that followed. Now was not the time for hysterics. She needed to keep a clear head and she needed to find some way to talk Draco out of this. Ginny swallowed. She didn't know what she'd do if Draco succeeded in erasing his memory. Something told her that if she didn't do it, he'd find someone else who was willing to. Ginny could tell that he didn't want to go to somebody else, because that would mean he'd have to confide in another what he and Ginny had done. He could possibly get his mother to do it, but Ginny didn't think Draco would want to put that responsibility on her shoulders.

_Why should I have it on my shoulders either?_ Ginny thought angrily. She thought back to the first time she'd seen Draco, back when she had been shopping for school supplies for her first year at Hogwarts. Draco had called her Harry's girlfriend and at the time, Ginny had wished it were true. But now it was completely different. Ginny didn't want to be with Harry. She wished she had realized it earlier and had taken advantage of time, but Ginny knew now that she wanted to be with Draco. She at least wanted time to sort out her feelings and see what they truly meant; but here Draco was shoving this huge responsibility on her. _It's not fair,_ Ginny thought, her eyes watering again. _But since when has life been fair to me?_

She turned and looked at Draco. He was watching her patiently yet his eyes were pleading with her to understand, to agree with him. Draco was trusting her, Ginny realized. She didn't know how many people he trusted, but given what she knew about his home life, she didn't think it was that many. Just the fact that Draco was trusting her enough to do this was astounding. She knew she couldn't disappoint him, no matter how much it pained her. Ginny's lip trembled, but deep down, her decision was already made.

Wishing her voice sounded surer than it did, Ginny asked, "What do I have to do?"

Draco looked back at her sadly and squeezed her hands before he let them go. "Thank you," he said, and the relief Ginny heard in his voice was enough to bring fresh tears to her eyes. He walked over to the desk he'd been sitting at and opened up a book. Ginny walked up to him.

"Just say this while you're pointing your want at me," Draco said. Ginny looked at the incantation that was circled on the page. "If you just say the regular Obliviate charm, it'll take away everything. The rest of the incantation is what is going to allow you to take away only certain memories. It's what the Ministry Obliviators use to modify the memories of muggles when they've seen too much. I think it's Latin or something…"

Ginny's mind hummed and buzzed, turning the instructions Draco was giving her into only faint whisperings in her head. She understood what she was to do. She understood that when she cast the charm on Draco, it would temporarily knock him out and his memories would separate before her like tiny moving pictures, and that she was to take out anything that had her, Narcissa, the tunnel, and certain other things in it. But in the end, all Ginny comprehended was that she was ruining Draco, that things would never be the same again…that _she'd _never be the same again.

"Understand?" Draco asked, looking at Ginny. She nodded slowly. "Okay then," sighed Draco. "Get ready."

Ginny's head shot up. "Now? Do we have to do it now?"

"Yes," Draco said resolutely. "It has to be tonight. Right now."

Feeling as if she were in a nightmare, hoping that she'd wake up any second, Ginny watched as Draco moved to stand about five feet in front of her.

"Remember me always, Ginny Weasley?" Draco asked, trying to smile.

Ginny made a sound that was half-sob, half-laugh, as she turned to face Draco. "I should be asking the same of you, Draco Malfoy," Ginny said sadly, "but I know that you won't. At least you won't remember me like this." Ginny didn't bother to brush away the tears that fell from her eyes. "You'll just remember the Ginny you used to hate. But I'll still know the real you." Her lip trembled again.

"I'll always hold you close, Ginny," Draco said. "In here." Draco placed his hand over his heart. "You'll always be in here."

"How do you know?" Ginny asked. She was crying freely now. She must look a mess, but she knew that in a few minutes, Draco wouldn't even remember it.

"I know," Draco smiled at her reassuringly. "Malfoy's know everything, remember?"

Though the tears started coming harder, Ginny laughed. "No they don't," she said. "If they did, you'd be able to find another way out of this."

Draco sighed. "Just remember me, Ginny," he continued. "No…no matter what I do to you in the future, remember me this way. Don't remember the Draco of six years ago. Remember this one."

Ginny nodded slowly. "I will," she said.

She raised her wand. "Goodbye, Draco," she said, her whole body shaking.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Draco said, and Ginny could see the tears shining in his own eyes. "I'm so sorry."

With her wand pointed straight at Draco, Ginny opened her mouth and before her better judgment could stop her, she shouted the incantation Draco had shown her.

Ginny covered her mouth in distress and as the tears ran from her eyes, she watched as the charm hit Draco in the chest and he toppled to the floor.

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**A/N:** So…was the first (and possibly last) kiss worth a 32-chapter wait? I know all of you have been wanting that to happen for a long time now. But I just couldn't have it happen in the first two chapters. It wouldn't have made the story as real. And to be honest with all of you, I wasn't even going to have it happen now. This one wasn't planned. I had a totally different scenario and time for the first kiss, but as I was writing this chapter, this just seemed right. And most of the time, when is a first kiss planned anyway, right? Ginny certainly wasn't expecting this, and seeing as I wasn't either, I thought I'd put it in.

And I know that this chapter isn't nearly as long as my others, but I wanted this one to be just about Draco and Ginny. I have everything planned out for the next chapter, so hopefully it won't take me too long to write. This one sure turned out really fast. I wrote the entire thing yesterday.

And that's enough of my rambling. I hope you guys aren't too mad with me for the ending. See you in chapter 33! And remember to review. Go ahead. Yell at me. Curse me for Obliviating poor Draco. Congratulate me. Knock yourself out. And to my fellow Americans out there, Happy 4th of July, even though I'm a few days early.

Lauren


	33. A New Stand

Thank you for giving my story over 200 reviews. I never dreamed it would get so many, so thank you all. 

Disclaimer: I most certainly don't own this.

**Chapter 33: A New Stand**

For a few moments, Draco didn't move. He just continued to lie on the floor where he had fallen, wishing the pounding in his head would stop; it felt as if a dozen Bludgers had all hit him at the same time. He could hear Ginny sobbing and Draco's heart boomed against his chest each time he breathed because he knew those cries were for him. She hadn't wanted to do this, and to be truthful, Draco had badly wanted to give in to her urgent pleas. However, he knew that if he had shown any hesitance, she would have noticed and taken advantage of it.

_Well it doesn't matter now,_ Draco thought, closing his eyes. _It didn't work._

Wincing, he sat up. "Bloody hell that hurt," muttered Draco as he rubbed his temple. He heard Ginny gasp, the sound of a wand clattering to the floor, hurried footsteps, and then Ginny's arms were around him. His arms hesitantly went about Ginny as she cried on his shoulder. Draco rested his chin on Ginny's shoulder and sighed as he stared past her, his mind thinking back to the events that had led him to sitting on the floor, holding Ginny Weasley in his arms.

The year had started out as every other had, with Draco continuing on with his bad-boy charade. And then everything had changed with the disappearances of Albert Harding and Trent Johnson. Ginny Weasley, one of the least likely people to ever align herself with Draco Malfoy, offered to help him solve the mystery to clear his name. And through it all, Draco began to see her as someone other than what he had always presumed her to be. More importantly, Draco saw himself clearly for the first time. He had always known he'd never become a Death Eater, but it had always been an empty statement then. Now Draco knew what he wanted to stand up for, what was real and true.

Lucius Malfoy and all that man stood for was neither.

Draco had been forced to kill Aidan Grant; he wished that it had been himself being killed that night other than the boy. But the deed was past and Draco couldn't do anything about it. The horror of what he had done had threatened to swallow Draco, and many times, Draco had let it consume him. He had even taken some of that anger and self-loathing out on Ginny when she had been angry at him.

But with the discovery of Draco's mother came a glimpse of something he'd never had. For the first time in his life, Draco felt wanted, needed. Narcissa had tried to save both herself and Draco, but she had been caught for Lucius. Her love for Draco had cost her seventeen years of her life. A greater sacrifice Draco had not yet come across.

Until Lucius had realized that Narcissa had been saved, that is. He had come to the school and confronted Draco, saying that he would stop at nothing to find out what had happened. Then Draco knew that he couldn't continue on with Ginny. If his father found out about Draco's acquaintance with her, both Ginny and his mother would be in more danger than Draco cared to think about. The decision to erase his own memory was a hard one for Draco to make, but he knew it had to be done. He honestly hadn't thought Ginny would take it so hard, but his heart smiled because she had. Maybe more people cared about him than he thought.

As Draco had been waiting for Ginny to arrive that evening, the thought to kiss her had come to him. At first he'd been hesitant about it, but when she had walked into the room and he had looked her over, he knew that if even for a few minutes, he wanted to pretend that he could be with her, that they could be together. Draco had never kissed anyone like her before. All of the girls he'd ever been with, Pansy included, had been all hands; their kisses had been desperate and messy and at the time, Draco hadn't cared because he'd never known anything different. But the moment his lips had met Ginny's, he realized how different she was. She was tentative, something Draco liked about her. He knew that given how protective Ron was of her, she'd only been with a few guys before and even then, he didn't think she'd gone very far with them. Knowing that it was all so new and unfamiliar to her made Draco be extra gentle and sweeter than he'd ever been with another. It had also made it much harder than he would've wished to ask her to erase his memory.

Watching almost in slow motion the charm come towards him had finally convinced Draco of what Ginny had been trying to tell him for the past half hour: that they could find another way. The thoughts that he would never again be able to hold Ginny, that he'd never remember their kiss, and that he'd go back to hating her were unbearable.

Ginny pulled away from him, sniffing. "What happened?" she asked shakily, looking into Draco's eyes.

"Well it didn't work," Draco said. Ginny smiled at him, and though her eyes were red and puffy, her hair was ruffled and knotted, and her cheeks were stained with tears, Draco thought she'd never looked more beautiful.

"Good then," Ginny said, clearing her throat. "Because we're not trying that twice." She looked at him fearfully, waiting for him to challenge her. But Draco just nodded.

"Okay," he said.

"Are you serious, Draco?" Ginny asked, not daring to believe him. "We'll find another way?"

"We?" Draco asked, quirking his eyebrow at her.

"Of course," smiled Ginny. "What, you didn't think I'd let you have all that fun by yourself, did you?"

Draco grinned at her teasing, but then became serious. "It won't be fun, Ginny," he said. "I can't promise you that nothing bad will happen."

"I don't care," Ginny said. "It's not like I've never been in danger before. I can handle myself."

Draco watched her. He knew Ginny was a smart witch; but Lucius was a powerful Death Eater. He also had no wish to try the charm again, however; his head was still pounding. "I know you can handle yourself, Ginny, but –"

"Then trust me," Ginny pleaded. "I trust that you can resist Lucius, but you have to trust that I can stand up to him too."

"Ginny –"

"No, Draco," Ginny said. "We're not trying it again."

He sighed as he stood up. "Oh believe me," said Draco, "we won't try _that_ again." He glared at the book that he'd gotten the charm out of. "Sodding book," he muttered, walking over to the desk and looking through the book. "Why didn't this work?"

Ginny came to stand beside him. "When was this book written?"

"I don't know," shrugged Draco as he handed the book to Ginny. She flipped through a few pages near the beginning of the book. A tiny, triumphant smile appeared on her face and she turned back to the page Draco had been on. After looking for a bit longer, she looked up at Draco.

"The spell you used was an older version," Ginny said. "That's why it didn't work. The incantation was modified later on. See, look," she said, holding the book out to Draco. "If you'd have read on a few more pages, you would've seen the correction. There was more to it still."

Draco didn't know whether to slap himself or give himself a pat on the back. Overlooking something like that could've ended with a worse result than a headache, but still, he was happy that it hadn't worked. He was still worried over his mother and the girl standing before him, but Ginny seemed so confident that Draco could resist whatever his father challenged him with. Draco knew that if he was given Veritaserum, it was all over for them both, but he started to realize that if Lucius tried to give him the potion, Draco could just resist him, fight his father. Then Lucius would know that Draco had no intention of becoming a Death Eater, but Draco knew that was bound to come out sometime soon anyway. One thing killing Aidan Grant had taught Draco was that he never wanted to do it again, and now he knew he never would. It was time for him to switch sides, he realized.

Draco slammed the book shut and tossed it on the desk. "So much for the library being helpful," he snorted. He brushed his robes off and looked around with a sigh as if he'd just woken up from a refreshing nap. Everything that had happened that night suddenly seemed to dawn on Ginny and her cheeks reddened as she looked at the floor. Draco swallowed heavily as he looked at her. When he had decided to kiss her, there had been nothing holding him back. Draco had thought that in a few moments, he wouldn't remember any of it. There would have been no pressure on him, no regrets, no consequences. What now, Draco didn't know. Even though their friendship had just bloomed, could anything deeper between them ever happen? Did Draco really want to be more than friends with her?

"Well," began Ginny nervously, her voice a bit squeakier than normal, "I think that's been enough excitement for me for one night." She backed away towards the door, her cheeks going scarlet. "G-goodnight, Draco," she said. "And I meant it when I said you're better than your father," she finished quickly. She glanced at him again before dashing out of the room.

Draco sighed and sat back down at the desk. _Things are going to get awkward now,_ he thought. What was going to happen between them? He couldn't quite blame Ginny for running away from the situation. Draco was pretty sure he'd startled her completely by kissing her, and right after that he'd shoved a huge task right in front of her. There had been no time for her to question what he'd just done, and right after he'd gotten up from the floor, they had discussed what they'd do. Once all of the complications had gone away, her mind must've been drawn back to the kiss. And instead of asking Draco about it, of going through those awkward first moments, she'd done what was easier. Draco probably would've run too if he'd had the chance.

_So what now?_ he thought as he looked into the fire, back where he had started. Ginny was in more danger than ever now that Draco still had his memories. Lucius would be even more irate if he found out that his son was in a relationship with Ginny Weasley. _Well I'm tired of playing by his rules, _Draco thought angrily. He'd lost his mother for his entire life because of Lucius. Ginny was right in saying that they could find another way. Draco's face hardened determinedly.

He had survived for seventeen years. Draco wasn't about to give in to Lucius's bullying now, and he wasn't about to let his father ruin what could be one of the best things to happen to Draco in his life. Even if he got hurt in the process, Draco vowed he would never look back, never have any regrets, and never let his father rule him again.

* * *

When Ginny woke up the next morning, her thoughts were immediately draw to Draco. _He kissed me, _she thought dazedly, staring at the ceiling above her._ He actually kissed me._

Ginny had never before been kissed, and the fact that the one kissing her had been Draco Malfoy amazed her. Last night in the Astrology Tower, she hadn't had much time to dwell on it. Right afterward, Draco had started talking about erasing her memory and Ginny was too distraught to do much else but talk him out of it. When he had fallen, she had wished with all her heart that she had found another way out of it; but Draco had been so adamant. He had been placing so much trust in her that she couldn't bare to refuse him.

And when he had sat up, cursing about how it had hurt, she'd been so astonished that she'd dropped her wand and run over to him. To explain the relief she'd felt upon hearing that the spell hadn't worked would be impossible for her. But then she had realized that she was alone up in a tower with her brother's enemy, the one who had also just kissed her. She cringed at how embarrassed she'd become. Draco probably thought her a silly baby for running away like she had. He was probably used to girls who were much more experienced, who knew what to do with him. Ginny sighed. He had probably just kissed her because he thought in a few moments he wouldn't even remember it. _It probably didn't mean anything, _she thought sadly._ Why would he want to be with me, little Ginny Weasley, Ron's little sister? He hates Ron._

_But he doesn't hate you,_ a cunning voice inside Ginny said. She had to smile at that. No, Draco didn't hate her. But that didn't mean that he was ready to drop down and propose either.

_So what did the kiss mean?_ Ginny puzzled, sitting up. The only way she would find out was if she asked him, and that would be too embarrassing to handle. Maybe she'd just wait to see if Draco brought the subject up, and if he did, great. If not…

Well, then Ginny would be doomed to suffer over the possibilities of "what if?" for the rest of her life. She knew she'd never pluck up the courage to talk to Draco about them ever being together. A sudden image of her and Draco sitting at a table talking over their feelings for one another popped into her head, causing Ginny to grin. She wasn't sure what Draco was capable of, but the idea of him talking about feelings was humorous.

_But that doesn't mean he's incapable of it,_ Ginny reasoned. She had once thought Draco incapable of a lot of things, most of which he had proven wrong over the past months.

"Anything's possible," Ginny whispered, getting out of bed.

* * *

When Ginny walked down to the common room, she saw Hermione sitting on a couch working on some homework. Ginny sat down quietly next to her and Hermione looked up. Ginny glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, but when she saw Hermione looking back at her, Ginny looked down.

"I'm sorry I've been ignoring you," Hermione sighed. Ginny bit her lip for a moment before she turned and pulled Hermione into a fierce hug.

"I'm sorry I said those things," Ginny apologized.

"It's okay, Ginny," Hermione said, pulling away.

"No it's not." Ginny shook her head. "I was a real prat."

"Well…" Hermione hesitated and Ginny gave her a knowing look. "Yeah, you were," she finally admitted, and Ginny shook her head with laughter.

"Still friends?" Ginny asked, sticking out her hand.

"Always," Hermione said, shaking Ginny's hand.

"And I promise that one day I'll explain everything," Ginny said hurriedly. Hermione nodded at her.

"So long as you don't kill yourself before then," Hermione sighed, starting her homework again.

Ginny laughed. "Oh, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself," she finished quietly, thinking back on how she had kept reassuring Draco with that line.

"So." Ginny said, looking around in boredom. "Where are the boys?"

"You mean Harry and Ron?" asked Hermione. "They're already downstairs eating breakfast."

"Now why doesn't that surprise me," muttered Ginny. "And the boyfriend? How's he? And don't try to deny that he's your boyfriend, Hermione," Ginny teased when she saw Hermione open her mouth to protest. "We all know that he is."

Hermione blushed and looked up at Ginny. "Ewan's great," she said. "And Harry and Ron even seem to have taken a liking to him. Vice versa too, actually," Hermione contemplated. "It seems like Ewan was ready to be friends with them right away."

"That's a good thing, Hermione," Ginny said, sitting back. "You remember what they were like when you went out with Viktor. It's a good thing that they've got over this phobia of you being with a guy. I just wish Ron would get over it for me too," she grumbled.

Hermione looked over at Ginny. "Why…is there someone who's caught your fancy?" she asked smugly.

Ginny's thoughts immediately traveled to Draco, and she was hard put to sustain a blush. "No," Ginny said, shrugging her shoulders. She cleared her throat. "There's nobody. It's just, I mean, you know…if any guy so much as looks at me Ron's all over him."

Hermione laughed. "That's true."

"Yeah," continued Ginny. "It'd be nice if he got over that."

"Well maybe their being open to Ewan will help Ron see that all guys other than family and Harry aren't to be treated with suspicion when it comes to you," Hermione said.

"I hope so, Hermione," Ginny sighed. "I really hope so."

* * *

He was waiting in the girls' lavatory on the second floor, waiting for a girl to come in by herself. The plans were made and Carl was waiting back in Hogsmede, watching the boy, Neville Longbottom.

He couldn't believe that he had never thought to take a girl before. Always he had just gone with whatever student had been available at the time, but it had always been a boy. Maybe a girl would work better. He certainly hoped it would. If it didn't, he didn't know what to do.

Shifting positions, the man sighed. He'd been crouching atop a toilet in one of the stalls for nearly an hour now, but not a single girl had come in. _Perhaps I should try the lavatory on the fifth floor, _he thought. But just then, he heard the door open and the sound of footsteps coming across the floor. He stiffened, listening to see how many people came in. It sounded like just one. _Perfect,_ he thought, a wide grin breaking out across his face. He needed a girl by herself, but usually they seemed to travel in packs, making it hard for him to find one on her own.

He waited to see if she was going to use one of the toilets, but she seemed to have stopped in front of the mirrors. Cautiously he stepped off of the toilet, wincing as he felt his numb knees regain some feeling, and poked his head out of the stall.

The girl was standing in front of the mirror, applying some makeup. The man shook his head slightly. One look at the girl's face told him that no matter how much makeup she put on, she'd never be very pretty. Nevertheless, the girl, who looked to be in her seventh year, didn't stop primping.

As she pulled out a comb and brought it through her short black hair, he quietly put a silencing charm on the room and another charm on the door to lock it. He stepped out from around the stalls, now in clear sight, and slowly approached the girl. He saw her eyes meet his in the mirror, and, her eyes widening, she whipped around.

"Wh-what are _you_ doing in here?" she asked warily, her eyes darting to the door. "This is a girls' lavatory."

He didn't say anything, but continued walking towards her, his wand pointing at her. She backed away, hastily stuffing her cosmetics into her bag and pulling out her wand. "What are you going to do? You're not going to rape me are you?"

The man stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing at her blunt accusation. "No," he replied, his tone filled with annoyance. He started towards her again.

"Get away from me." She waved her wand violently at him. "I'll scream. I'll curse you."

"It won't do you any –"

"Help!" she screamed. "Help!" Ignoring the ringing in his ears from her high-pitched pleas, he moved forward at the same time that she scooted around him, heading for the door.

"Stupefy!" he cried. Before she was even able to grasp the handle, she fell to the floor in a heap, causing a tube of lipstick to roll out of her bag and across the marble floor.

* * *

Draco was tapping his quill against his desk, his head resting in his hand, as he stared up in boredom at Professor McGonagall. Draco couldn't concentrate at all on the lecture. His mind kept drifting to the Quidditch game on Saturday, the Hogsmede trip afterward, Ginny, his mother, his father, and back again. Draco felt as if his mind was constantly spinning and all the thoughts that crowded his mind were overwhelming.

"Mr. Malfoy," Professor McGonagall said sharply, rapping her wand on Draco's desk. Draco stopped tapping his quill and looked up at her. "Are you not finding my lesson entertaining?"

"No," Draco said sullenly. He could hear Harry and Ron snickering behind him and his temper flared.

"Well then, would you kindly tell me what I was just talking about?"

Draco's eyes narrowed as he looked back at McGonagall's sharp gaze. Something in her eyes told Draco that she already knew that Draco hadn't been paying attention, and the quiet giggles from the rest of the Gryffindors in the class told him that they knew as well. He opened his mouth, fighting for an answer, but none came to him.

"Five points from Slytherin," Professor McGonagall stated, turning back to the front of the class, "for not paying attention."

Draco's face turned red as he fought to control his temper. Professor McGonagall had returned to teaching but Draco was still fuming. He could hear Harry and Ron quietly laughing about him, something that only added to his anger.

Draco turned around. "Shut up," he hissed. Harry and Ron glanced at each other and then back at him.

"I don't think we will, Malfoy," Harry shot back, making sure to keep his voice low.

"Shut up or I'll make you," Draco said, pointing his wand at the two Gryffindor boys. A few other students had noticed their argument and were listening in, trying not to get in trouble themselves.

Harry glanced at the teacher, who was writing something on the blackboard. "And risk losing more of your precious points? I don't think so."

"Yeah, then there'll be no way for you to win the house championship this year," Ron added.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley," exclaimed a furious Professor McGonagall as she strode over to the two boys' desks. Draco turned back around, a tiny smirk on his face. "Why do I keep finding students talking during class today?"

Harry and Ron looked nervously up at the teacher. "P-professor McGonagall," Ron started, "Mal –"

"No buts, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said. "I don't know what it is about this class, but students always see the need to talk when they ought to be silent. Ten points from Gryffindor."

"But Professor McGonagall," said an agitated Harry, and Draco stifled his laughter at the indignance he heard in the boy's voice, "we're in first place right now! If you take away points then –"

"My house will fall behind, yes, I know," Professor McGonagall interrupted him. "Frankly, your education is more important to me than some age-old house rivalry."

Harry and Ron stared at their teacher and house leader as she walked back to the front of the classroom. Once he was sure that Professor McGonagall was busy, Draco turned half-way around in his seat and sent one of his smirks at the two boys, who glared back at him. Draco then sat forward again satisfactorily, his mind already beginning to wander once more.

* * *

A few days later during dinner, Ginny was talking with the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team about the game on Saturday when Albus Dumbledore stood up to address the students.

"May I have your attention please," Professor Dumbledore said loudly. The Great Hall soon fell silent as all eyes turned up. "It seems," Dumbledore sighed, "that we have had yet another disappearance." The Great Hall broke out in whispers as students craned their heads around the room as if they'd be able to see who was missing.

"Who do you reckon it is?" Ron was whispering to Hermione, but she shushed him, watching the Headmaster intently.

Professor Dumbledore let the students muse for a few more seconds before he held is hands up for silence. "Miss Pansy Parkinson, a seventh year Slytherin girl, disappeared two days ago."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ginny was fighting back a smile. The fact that Pansy was the one to disappear was hilarious considering the fact that Ginny had always disapproved of the Slytherin's flamboyant ways. Glancing over at the Slytherin table, Ginny saw Draco wearing an undeniably goofy grin as he whispered something to Blaise Zabini. Seeing Draco with that expression on his face made Ginny giggle, but she covered it up by pretending to be in a violent coughing fit.

Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat. "If anybody has any information about Miss Parkinson's whereabouts, please contact one of the teacher's immediately. This now brings us to a total of four students who have disappeared this year, two of which have yet to be found. The staff and I are doing all we can to find Mr. Longbottom and Miss Parkinson. We have no reason to believe that they are being harmed; merely, that they are just being kept for some reason unknown to us." Though Dumbledore sounded confident, his face was wrinkled with worry.

Ginny became sober as she looked around. Many of the Gryffindors, seventh years especially, were fighting hard to hide their mirth. Ginny was secretly on their side; the thought of Pansy being kidnapped was highly amusing. But deep down Ginny was worried. Who next? If this didn't stop soon, who else would be taken?

As Headmaster Dumbledore sat down, Ginny glanced over at Draco. He high-fived Vincent Crabbe and Ginny smiled softly at his obvious pleasure at having Pansy Parkinson finally off his back. Draco's eyes then met Ginny's from across the hall before he looked down at his plate.

_That's it,_ thought Ginny. _I don't care if Draco and I have to storm our way past the monster in the tunnel. _

_Bring it on._

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**A/N: **There now, that wasn't so bad, was it? You didn't think I'd honestly Obliviate Draco, did you? Nah, I was _**never**_ going to do it. I just thought I'd freak you all out a bit. And I must say, it was quite amusing.

But don't let my teasing get you. I'm just trying to have a little fun here. For real, when I thought up the idea of Draco wanting his memories erased, I never thought I'd turn the event into a whole chapter. I was going to have it so that Ginny would talk him out of it before they tried anything, but this idea was just so much more appealing. Trust me, I was never going to take away his memories. **Adalee Bishop** gave me some cool ideas of what could have happened if I'd actually gone through with it,but I had to stick to the story.

Oh, and with Pansy being taken…that one's for you, **emmie elizabeth**. When I decided that a girl was going to be taken, my first thought was Pansy, but I had decided against it for some reason unknown to me. But then I saw your review and I just couldn't help but do it. I just loved the scene where she was taken. I was laughing the whole time I wrote it. All the things she was saying just seemed so Pansy-like.

So I hope none of you are too mad at me for that little Draco scare. This chapter was kind of slow and still not very long, but I'm trying to get things going. Hopefully the next chapter will be more interesting. Thank you all for your continuous support and reviews. They are what keep me going when the writer's block gets too hard to handle.

Lauren


	34. Free at Last

Sorry this took so long to get out. But I gave you guys the last three chapters in like a week, and knowing me, that's pretty much a miracle. I kind of spent myself out on those ones. And believe it or not, I do have a life outside this story, and once in a while it calls to me, and every so often I like to answer it.

Dislcaimer: The day I become a Cheesehead will be the day that I own Harry Potter.

**Chapter 34: Free at Last**

When Ginny first woke on Saturday morning, she snuggled further beneath the covers. She lazily opened an eye and one look out the window told her that she was glad she was in bed; once more the snow was falling, though not quite as harshly as before, and Ginny could tell by the way that the trees were bending that the wind was fierce. Letting out a contented sigh, she closed her eyes and prepared herself for sleep once again.

And then Ginny's eyes flew open and she leapt out of bed. _The Quidditch game,_ she thought, all traces of sleep now gone from her body. Ginny glanced at the clock as she pulled her hair back into a messy pony tail; the game started in a half hour.

After Ginny donned her Quidditch robes, she rushed down the stairs to find only a few people left in the common room, mainly a few girls who seemed to be in their first year. Ginny paid them no mind, however. She rushed out of the common room, ignored the Fat Lady's indignant huff as the portrait door did not properly shut, skidded around corners and zoomed down stairs, passed the Great Hall and any people remaining in it, ran out of the castle, and sped down the path towards the Quidditch pitch.

By the time she reached the Gryffindor changing room, she was completely out of breath and her hair was falling back into her face. Ginny took a few deep breaths as she walked inside. Immediately the rest of the team turned to look at her.

"For goodness sake, Ginny," cried Harry as he walked up to her. "We have to be out there in fifteen minutes! Where were you?"

"Sorry," huffed Ginny, "I overslept." Ignoring Ron's muttering, Ginny got out her broom and sat down next to Colin. "Did I miss anything important?" she whispered to him.

"No," Colin said. "Well, not unless you consider Harry practically blowing a gasket because you weren't here on time important. I'd call it interesting, really," he continued, leaning back against the bench. "He was just about to send someone looking for you."

"Well I'm here now," Ginny sighed, fixing her pony tail. She glanced across the room; Seamus was standing near the door that led out onto the Quidditch pitch, a faraway look on his face. Ginny sighed again, looking down at her lap. Ever since Christmas, things had been awkward between them. Even before he had asked her out, Ginny and Seamus and never talked a lot. Sometimes when Ginny would be hanging around Hermione, Seamus would sometimes be with Harry and Ron, and so they'd exchange a few words, but they'd never been best friends. After they'd broken up, they had hardly said anything to each other. Ginny hated that it was partly her fault for this silence between them, but she didn't know what to do about it.

"Okay then," Harry said resolutely, and the rest of the team stood. "Let's go."

Harry stood at the front of the line, Ron behind him, Dean and Seamus standing before Ginny, and Colin and Dennis took up the rear. The Gryffindor stands erupted in applause as they walked out onto the field. Ginny saw the Slytherin team coming out from the other side as well.

When they reached the center of the field, Madame Hooch was resting one foot on top of the chest that contained the Quidditch balls, a whistle in her mouth and the Quaffle tucked under her arm. "Captains come forward, please!" She called. Ginny watched Harry and Draco fly forward a few feet so they could reach each other's hands. Draco scowled as he reluctantly shook Harry's hand, and when they were done, Harry wiped his hand against his robe as if to scrape off slime.

_Some things never change,_ Ginny thought as Madame Hooch released the balls into the air. _Even if Draco has changed albeit only slightly, he and Harry will never stop hating each other.

* * *

_

An hour later Ginny growled in frustration. Slytherin was up by six points; Gryffindor had only managed to score twice. Ron was letting pass far more shots than normal, no doubt because of the taunting of the Slytherin fans. His face was red from embarrassment and anger and Ginny didn't have the heart or energy to go talk to him. She caught a fast pass from Seamus and scowled at Goyle as he caused a Bludger to knock her off course. Ginny retained possession of the Quaffle, however, and managed to make it fly past the Slytherin Keeper, Warren Quinn.

"Gryffindor scores!" shouted Jacob Smith, the announcer. "But Slytherin still has the lead with eighty points. This goal by sixth year Chaser, Ginny Weasley, brings Gryffindor up to thirty points, but unless Harry Potter can catch the Snitch soon, I think Slytherin has this game in the bag."

Ginny stopped flying after one of the Slytherin Chasers and turned to glare at Jacob Smith, a Gryffindor fifth year. _Why isn't he booing the Slytherins like the rest of the fans,_ she thought in annoyance, resuming her chase.

"And Slytherin scores again!" shouted Smith. "Blaise Zabini _smashes_ the Quaffle past Ron Weasley! Ninety-thirty to Slytherin!"

Ginny gritted her teeth, wrapping her hands tighter around her Nimbus 2001 and urging it to go faster. She watched the Quaffle fly back and forth between Dean and Seamus as they approached the Slytherin goals, but just as Dean was about to shoot, Alan Howry cut him off, causing the Quaffle to drop ten feet before it was caught by Blaise Zabini.

"This is not good," muttered Ginny. Just then, something shiny zoomed past her. Ginny squinted to see if it was the Snitch, but then Draco shot by her as well, nearly knocking her off her broom. Just as Ginny was thinking, _I guess it was the Snitch,_ Harry flew past her as well, chasing after Draco.

"Go, Harry!" Ginny shouted, completely forgetting about the rest of the game.

"It seems like Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter have spotted the Snitch!" Jacob Smith's voice rang throughout the stadium. For a moment the stands got quiet, and then suddenly everybody started screaming, urging their team on. Ginny held her breath, watching as the Snitch took a sharp turn upwards. Harry rose behind Draco and tried to catch up to him, but it did no good.

With one broom length still separating the two Seekers, Draco's hand wrapped around the Snitch. The Slytherins started shouting triumphantly as the cheers of the Gryffindors died.

"Slytherin wins! A fantastic catch by Draco Malfoy gives Slytherin a two hundred forty to thirty victory over Gryffindor!" A few Gryffindors booed Smith's commentary, but they were mostly drowned out by the Slytherin cheers. Ginny dejectedly flew down to the ground, where Colin and Seamus were already standing; Dean and Dennis soon joined them. Ginny saw Ron start his way down towards them, but Harry was still sitting in the air, staring after Draco and the Snitch. Ginny's heart went out to Harry; he had always taken losing badly, seeing it as entirely his fault.

But when Ginny saw Draco's satisfied grin as Blaise slapped him on the back, she couldn't help but smile. Rarely did she ever see Draco so happy, and even if it meant that she had lost, she was glad that he had won.

* * *

Ginny trailed after Harry, Hermione, and Ron as they walked into Hogsmede that afternoon. Harry and Ron had been dejected for most of the day, Ron choosing to vent his frustration by complaining; Harry said little. Hermione was doing her best to cheer them both up, but so far she wasn't doing much good.

"Well, I suppose it could have been worse," Harry finally admitted. Hermione beamed.

"That's the attitude, Harry," she said cheerfully. "After all, Quidditch _is_ just a game and no matter how many times you lose, you should always walk away smiling."

"Well that's easy for you to say, Hermione," Ron whined. "You didn't embarrass yourself in front of the whole school. I mean, I was a disaster! I played horrible."

"No, Ron, you played _horribly,"_ Hermione said. Ron stopped in the path and turned to look at Hermione with a peeved look on his face.

"I _already_ said that, Hermione," he said through gritted teeth. "There's no need to rub it in. If you're trying to make me feel better you're doing a hell of a job because I feel_ loads_ better alre–"

"No, Ron," Hermione said in exasperation as they continued walking again. Ginny laughed silently. "You said you played horri_ble. _I said you played horri_bly. _Proper grammar states that –"

"Look, save it for another time, alright, Hermione?" scoffed Ron. "I'm really not in the mood for learning anything right now." Hermione rolled eyes as she and Ginny shared a knowing look. Ginny herself was quite amused by the transaction, but she knew better than to annoy her brother right now.

"So," Harry said, changing the subject, "Hermione, where's Ewan?"

Ron rubbed his hands together. "Yes, where is the boyfriend?"

"Say what?" Ginny asked. "Hermione, you didn't mention meeting him here today."

"Well, _we're_ not," Hermione corrected, pointing to her and Ginny. "Harry and Ron are going to be spending some time with him. Something about a male bonding experience."

"And by a 'male bonding experience,' you don't mean…?" Ginny trailed off, her eyebrow raised questioningly as she held back her laughter. Ron and Harry, finally understanding what she was implying, turned around to look at her with disgusted, horrified looks on their faces.

"Eww, Ginny," Ron said, his face one of disbelief. "I can't believe you just said that. Get your mind out of the gutter, baby sister! That's _disgusting!"_

Ginny giggled and even Hermione was trying hard not to laugh. "Well I just wanted to make sure," she said playfully. Ron shuddered.

"So what _are_ you going to be doing with Ewan?" Hermione asked nervously. "Not anything detrimental, I hope?"

"No," Harry reassured her. "We're going to take him to Quidditch Supply Plus first and teach him all about Quidditch."

"Yeah, can you believe the bloke doesn't even know the difference between a Quaffle and a Bludger?" asked Ron. "It's incredible. Ah, there he is." Ron pointed towards the Quidditch shop; Ewan was standing by the door. Harry and Ron started walking off toward him.

"We'll see you later," Harry called back.

Ron turned back around, still walking. "I mean, what kind of guy doesn't know anything about Quidditch?" He left the question hanging in the air and then caught up to Harry. Ewan waved to Hermione, who waved back.

"A nice one," Hermione said quietly. She and Ginny looked at each other. Then they laughed.

"So what do you want to do while the males, uh…_bond,"_ Ginny said, laughing again.

"I don't know," Hermione sighed. "We could go to the Three Broomsticks and get something for lunch. I don't know about you but I'm starving."

"I like the way you think," Ginny smiled. "I didn't even get breakfast because I slept so late." And so they started off down another street, their feet crunching slightly on the hard snow.

* * *

Sighing with content as he stepped into the Three Broomsticks, Draco headed for the bar. The place was crowded with Hogwarts students as well as locals of Hogsmede. Madame Rosmerta was on the other side of the bar assisting another person, so Draco waited. Looking around, he saw a group of Gryffindor fourth years scowl at him as they walked past; Draco grinned wickedly at them. Slytherin beating Gryffindor in the game earlier that day was a huge boost of confidence for both Draco and his Quidditch team. True to his word, Blaise Zabini had talked to Aidan Tulson and convinced him to go back to the team. Though he and Draco still weren't on the best of terms, Tulson had played his fiercest game yet, scoring the majority of Slytherin's points. Most of the Slytherins were still back celebrating in the common room, and Draco had stayed for a respectable amount of time, but he had escaped as soon as possible. He wanted to visit his mother today to see how she was doing, and right after he got a drink, he was planning on doing just that.

"What can I get for you?" Rosmerta asked Draco, coming to stand in front of him.

"Do you have the good stuff?" Draco asked, his eyebrow raising in question.

Rosmerta narrowed her eyes. "Draco Malfoy, surely you aren't one to drink in the middle of the day? You know I don't serve Hogwarts students anything stronger than butterbeer."

"I'm of age," Draco said indignantly. Rosmerta merely looked as if she was waiting for him to come up with a better argument. "Come on, Rosie," he continued, putting on a look that would send innocent girls running away blushing. "Just one little firewhisky…for me?"

Rosmerta's mouth twitched as she tried to hold back a smile. Draco's hand crept towards hers but she slapped it away. "Don't call me Rosie," she said, turning to walk away before Draco could see her amused look. "And it's butterbeer for you!" she called over her shoulder.

"Come on!" he shouted after her playfully, but she just waved her hand back at him as if to tell him to shut up. Draco shook his head and grinned as he sat back in the bar stool. When Rosmerta brought him the butterbeer, she handed it to him without a word. Draco raised his eyebrows as he took it. He held the glass up to her and said cheekily, "To you, Rosie." He drank deeply and watched as Rosmerta walked away, rolling her eyes.

"What's the matter, Malfoy, Rosmerta not falling for your oh-so-amusing antics today?" Blaise Zabini asked as he took a seat next to Draco.

Draco looked at Blaise and said, "Hey, I can get anything I want. It just so happens that I'm in the mood for butterbeer today."

Just then Rosmerta came up to Blaise. "Blaise Zabini. I hope you'll have more class than Mr. Malfoy here, and know not to ask for a firewhisky, hmm?" she asked, sending Draco an annoyed glance.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Rosie," Blaise said, causing Rosmerta's face to darken. "It just so happens that I'm more of a brandy type of fellow. Got any back there?" he asked, leaning forward to try and look past the bar.

"No," snapped Rosmerta, though Draco could see the amusement in her eyes. "You want a butterbeer, then, or nothing?"

Blaise gave an exaggerated sigh. "Well, if I must…I'll take a butterbeer." Rosmerta nodded and walked away, returning shortly with Blaise's drink. "So, it was a good game, wasn't it?" Blaise said, turning to Draco.

Draco grinned. "Yeah it was. Did you see Potter's face after I got the Snitch? I thought he was going to burst into tears right then and there."

"Yeah," laughed Blaise. "We couldn't have done it without Weaselby though."

"You're right," Draco agreed, pretending to be serious. "It was all thanks to his _fabulous_ Keeper skills."

"I'll drink to that," said Blaise. He and Draco clinked their butterbeer bottles together and drank, laughing. For a while after that they didn't say anything; they just sat and thought, occasionally sipping their drink.

After a while, Blaise spoke up. "Hey Draco, do you ever think about what you're going to do after Hogwarts?"

Draco looked sharply at Blaise, caught off guard by the question and not entirely sure if he wanted to get into the conversation anyway. Blaise knew that Draco's father was a Death Eater, just as Draco knew that Blaise's father was a Death Eater even though Blaise hardly saw his real father. As far as Draco knew, Blaise's mother wasn't a Death Eater, though she always seemed to marry Death Eaters; all of the husbands she'd ever had, all of them conveniently very rich as well, seemed to die suspiciously soon after their marriage. Draco couldn't even remember who she was married to now, if she was married at all. One reason that Blaise and Draco got along so well, though they rarely talked about their personal lives with each other, was because they were both in the same position. Their fathers were Death Eaters and while Draco felt more pressure to join Voldemort, he knew that Blaise felt it too. Draco wasn't quite sure where Blaise's loyalty lay, but Draco knew that anything was possible.

"Draco?" Blaise asked, catching Draco's attention again. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah," Draco said quietly, sipping his butterbeer. "Not sure I have an answer to that question."

Blaise sighed. Draco glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, wondering what exactly Blaise was thinking. "Same here," Blaise said, staring at the bar in front of them.

After a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence in which both boys contemplated what their future was to be like, Blaise downed the rest of his butterbeer and said, "Well, I reckon I better get back to the castle. I've, uh…got homework." He turned around and hastily stood up, knocking into someone who was walking behind him.

Draco turned in his seat as he heard a body fall backwards to the ground. Blaise looked very uncomfortable. "Oh – uh, sorry," he said half-heartedly. Blaise offered his hand to the person who sat on the ground staring back up at him. Draco raised his eyebrow at Blaise's act of chivalry as none other than Hermione Granger took Blaise's hand and stood from the ground. Draco wasn't sure if Blaise had recognized her yet, but he wasn't about to tell his friend that he had just helped a muggle-born.

Draco flinched as he watched Blaise help Hermione up. Then he noticed Ginny standing next to Hermione. Ginny was looking straight back at him, a soft smile on her face and her cheeks slightly red. When she saw that Draco noticed her staring at him, she blushed even deeper and looked at Hermione.

"Come on, Hermione," Ginny said, pulling her friend away. Hermione tore her confused eyes away from Blaise and followed Ginny out of the pub. Blaise stood there for a moment, staring after them as they disappeared outside; then he glanced back at Draco nervously. Draco saw his eyes dart around the room to see if anybody had noticed, and without saying a word, he hurried out of the Three Broomsticks.

Draco shook his head and turned back around in his seat. _Poor Blaise, _he thought. _He must be wishing he was dead right now for helping Granger. _He hoped that wind of this incident wouldn't find its way to Draco's father, or worse, Blaise's father. There was no telling what kind of trouble Blaise would be in if his father found out he had helped Hermione Granger. Draco was just glad it hadn't happened to himself. Though, if he had knocked over Hermione, he wouldn't have been stupid enough to help her back up. He would've smirked at her, said something nasty, and then walked away.

_But what if it had been Ginny?_ a sly voice asked inside his head. Given how Draco felt about Ginny, he knew that his first instinct would have been to help her up; however, he would've fought that instinct. He had already helped Ginny Weasley once in public and he had no wish to do it again; it had caused too much trouble both for himself and Ginny. _But you would've wanted to help her, _the voice reminded him._ You wouldn't want to see her hurt._

_Which is exactly why I wouldn't help her,_ thought Draco angrily. He sighed and shook his head. Arguing with himself would get him nowhere. His feelings for Ginny were stirring up his conscience and he didn't like it one bit. He suddenly had the desire to talk to Ginny, to kiss her again. Holding her in his arms felt so right even though he knew it was so wrong. And it had been so long since he'd been with a girl, even if it was just to kiss her.

"Oh, what am I going to do," Draco groaned as he rubbed his eyes. "This is all so messed up." He slapped the money for his drink on the counter and stood. Stretching his back, he walked out of the Three Broomsticks and headed for the shop that his mother was in.

* * *

"What do you think that was all about?" Hermione asked Ginny as they walked through the streets of Hogsmede.

"What do I think what was all about?" Ginny asked back.

"Back in the Three Broomsticks," Hermione said with a frown. "Since when does Blaise Zabini, pure-blood wizard, help up Hermione Granger, muggle-born witch? Since when does _any_ Slytherin help a Gryffindor?"

Ginny shrugged, truly at a loss for an answer. "Maybe he didn't know it was you," she offered. Hermione looked worried. "Maybe he thought it was someone else." Hermione didn't say anything. "Look, is it so wrong if a Slytherin is nice once in a while?" she sighed. "I mean, not all of them are bad."

Hermione's head shot up to look at Ginny. "What are you talking about, Ginny?" Ginny looked away, suddenly wishing she would've kept her mouth shut. "Which of them are ever nice to us?"

"Well nobody in particular," Ginny said, showing her exasperation. "All I'm saying is that it's not like some big surprise if a Slytherin doesn't turn out to be a Death Eater. For all we know Blaise Zabini is a good person."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Ginny Weasley, are you defending him?"

"Well he didn't do anything wrong, did he?" Ginny asked in confusion. "For goodness sake, all he did was help you up!"

"I know," said Hermione, looking ahead of them. "But it's a little odd, don't you think? If Zabini has ever said anything to us, it's only been crude sayings. So why does he now become a gentlemen."

"Well a gentleman would've never knocked you over," pointed out Ginny, hoping to take some of the heat off herself.

"True," nodded Hermione. "But it was an accident."

"Exactly, Hermione," Ginny said. Then she frowned. "Wait, what?"

"What?" Hermione asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Well," said Ginny as a coy smile formed on her face, "if I said a gentleman would've never knocked you over, and then you say it was just an accident, then are you saying that Blaise is a gentleman?"

Hermione's eyes widened and she sputtered. "No, of course not!" she cried. Ginny grinned, happy to not be under Hermione's scrutiny anymore. "I never said that, Ginny."

"Oh I know that," Ginny laughed. "I'm just messing with you, Hermione."

Hermione sighed and shook her head as they walked back to Hogwarts. "But he is kind of cute, isn't he, Hermione?" Ginny asked playfully again. "Come on, I know you think so. Everybody thinks Zabini is handsome."

"Ginny," Hermione said, laughing. "You'd better watch it." However, Ginny noticed Hermione's cheeks reddening. Ginny sighed satisfactorily.

Hermione suddenly giggled. "What do you think Ron and Harry would say if they knew what we were talking about?"

"Oh wow," Ginny said. "Well, after they stare at us in shock for a few minutes, they'll turn red with anger, forbid us ever to leave the Gryffindor tower again, and then they, along with your boyfriend, will burst into the Slytherin house and murder Blaise Zabini. And probably every other male in sight too."

"How about we don't mention this little incident to them, okay?" Hermione asked.

"Deal," Ginny said.

* * *

"Hello?" Draco asked as he stepped into Reina's store, _Life's Little Things._ He looked around, but he saw no sign of Reina. He wasn't surprised to see that Narcissa wasn't around; he'd told her to either stay upstairs or in the kitchen, out of sight of the rest of the store just in case Lucius came prowling. "Hello?" Draco called out again, making his way to the back of the store.

"Draco?" asked Reina as she stepped out from around a large rack of clothes; her sudden appearance made Draco jump back a little. She smiled when she saw who it was. "Hello there."

Draco nodded. "Hello. How is she?"

"She's quiet," Reina said, beckoning for Draco to follow her. They walked to the back of the store and into the kitchen where they sat down. "She's upstairs during the day but after dark she usually comes downstairs for a while. Very quiet, that one is," Reina mused, hand on her chin. "Kind of nice to have another soul around though, even if it's a quiet one," Reina said as she gazed at Draco. "It does a body good."

"Well…er – that – that's uh, good," stammered Draco, eyeing Reina. This was only the second time he'd seen Reina, and while she seemed like a harmless, pleasant woman, some of her remarks unsettled Draco. He wasn't quite sure how to act around her. Ginny had told him that Reina was a Squib and normally Draco would act superior around such people, belittling them to his heart's content, but he couldn't bring himself to be like that around Reina. Draco didn't know if she knew about how Lucius was, but that she would take in and shelter a complete stranger awed Draco. He wasn't used to kindness. Until Ginny had come along, nobody had ever seen him as anybody other than evil incarnate. Reina either knew nothing of Draco's reputation or simply didn't care, and for that, Draco was eternally grateful.

"If you want to see her, go on up," Reina said, nodding towards the ceiling where their room was.

"Thanks," Draco said. He couldn't help the smile that worked its way onto his face as he climbed the stairs; the door that covered the opening in the ceiling was closed. Though he was sure his heart was pounding so hard that it would rip right through his chest, as he stood on the spiral steps, he knocked with confidence on the door.

"You can come in," he heard Narcissa say.

Draco opened the door and stepped into the room that Narcissa and Reina were staying in. Narcissa was leaning against a wall of pillows stacked high on her bed and her eyes were closed. If Draco hadn't heard her speak just a few seconds ago, he would have thought his mother to be asleep. As it was, he cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Hello, Mother," he greeted, stepping further into the room. At the sound of Draco's voice, Narcissa's eyes shot open and she sat upright, a smile breaking across her worn face.

"Draco," she said happily, standing and reaching out to hug her son. Draco, still a bit unused to such displays of emotion on a regular basis, tentatively hugged her back. "I didn't think you'd be coming to see me so soon."

"Well I wanted to see how you were doing," said Draco as he pulled back. Narcissa sat back down on the edge of her bed and patted to a spot next to her, indicating for Draco to sit as well.

"I'm doing wonderful," Narcissa said. "And it's all thanks to you and Reina. I've never felt so happy in my life. It's quiet here, but I like the quiet; it's what I've been used to for so long. Anything else would seem strange. But this…I could get used to this."

"Used to what, exactly?" Draco asked, smiling at his mother's obvious pleasure.

"Freedom," Narcissa said, staring straight into Draco's eyes.

_Ah, freedom,_ Draco thought to himself with a sigh. _My mother has found freedom from Lucius. I only wish I could have the same._

"You look so much like him," said Narcissa softly, as if reading Draco's thoughts. Draco's face tightened, but he didn't say anything. He didn't need to, for Narcissa noticed his reaction anyway. "I suppose perhaps you don't like to think so, but you do. But no matter how much you look like him, you're not him. You're better than him, Draco."

Draco closed his eyes. Ginny had been trying to convince him of the same thing not too long ago. "Well, you're safe, and that's all that matters," Draco said as he opened his eyes. "Tell me, what have you been doing over the past few days?"

Narcissa let out her breath. "Not too much. I sleep a lot. During the day I mostly stay up here and either read or just sit and think. I don't like to go downstairs too much because I don't want to be seen. But at night I go downstairs for a while. It's very peaceful here." She smiled again. Draco noticed that in a strange way, although she looked old, at the same time she seemed like a little girl. Her eyes shone with a brightness that Draco couldn't ever remember seeing. He liked to think that it was because she was no longer under the curse.

"But I don't want to talk about me," Narcissa sighed, tilting her head as she looked at her son. "I want to talk about you. Even though I've known you your whole life, I've never really been there. I feel as if I don't truly know you, not the real you. But I want to know everything," she said as she smiled again. Draco swallowed. Everything? If he told her "everything," she'd probably never want to see him again. An abridged version of "everything" would suit better. An uncomfortable twitch of guilt pecked at Draco's mind. All his life his mother had clung to the one shred of hope that her son would turn out differently than her husband, that Draco would be able to resist Lucius and turn out a decent man. But he hadn't been doing that. No matter how much Draco disagreed with Lucius, he'd always listened to his father and been the bully at school, nodded his head and said "Yes" when asked if he'd become a Death Eater, performed an Unforgivable Curse on a young boy, taking away life with the flick of a wand…

Draco swallowed against the memory he so wished to dispose of. He looked back up at his mother's anxious, hopeful face. She had wanted so much for her son; she had just wanted to love him and be loved back. She had maintained her sanity by believing that everything would be alright and that her son would come out a better man. Draco would never lie to her, but he knew that he could never tell her exactly all that he'd done over the years. At least not anytime soon. Perhaps one day when all of this was over, and if Draco was still alive then, he might tell her his secrets. But not this day.

"Well," he began slowly, "there's not much to tell. I'm good at my classes, especially Potions. Actually, I've more than once been told that I'm second-best in my year," he said proudly. "There's only one mud – uh, one muggleborn ahead of me," said Draco. He'd almost said "mudblood," but for some reason he had refrained. Something told him that while Lucius might find such terms amusing, his mother wouldn't.

"Second-best?" Narcissa repeated. "That's wonderful, Draco." Draco saw the delighted look on his mother's face, and he couldn't help but crinkle his brow as he looked back at her in wonder. His father had a fit every time he was reminded that his son was just second-best. Lucius especially detested Hermione Granger for making his son seem incompetent. But Narcissa was pleased that her son was doing so well; she didn't care that he wasn't the very best.

"Yeah," continued Draco, realizing that he probably seemed a bit slow to his mother since he kept stopping to think every few sentences. "Yeah, so my grades are good. I'm on the Slytherin Quidditch team. I'm captain actually," he grinned.

"I heard from Lucius that you played Quidditch, but he never went into details and I was never able to ask," Narcissa said. "Tell me about it."

"Well like I said, I'm the captain," Draco said, excited that somebody was interested in it. "I started playing as the Seeker in my second year, and I made captain this year. I'm probably the best Seeker in the school. Well," he trailed off frowning. "I mean, there are other Seekers that are talented, I guess," he said, thinking of Potter but not wanting to admit that the boy was any good. "Actually, we just had a game today, and we won," Draco said, a real smile forming on his face. "We beat the Gryffindors into the ground. The look on Potter's face was priceless," he said, laughing. "He didn't know what to think."

Narcissa eyed her son with amusement. "I wish I could see you play sometime," she said wistfully. Draco looked at her.

"You know that can't happen," Draco said seriously. "If anybody saw you, there'd be trouble."

"Oh I know," Narcissa said. "I was just thinking that it'd be nice." Draco nodded, pleased that she cared about what he did. It was never an unusual thing to see parents at Quidditch games during the school year, but Lucius Malfoy rarely attended; Narcissa had never been once. And whenever Lucius had come, Draco wished he hadn't. His father would spent the majority of the time after each game criticizing Draco, which the boy found ironic since his father had never played the game.

"And you have friends, I take it?" Narcissa continued. Draco detected a bit of caution in her voice and he knew where it came from. She knew that he was in Slytherin and that most of the students in that house came from Death Eater families; she knew the types of people he consorted with.

"Yeah, a few," Draco replied. "I mean, there's Crabbe and Goyle and Zabini." He shrugged. "A few others too, but there's not a ton of them."

Narcissa nodded slowly, chewing on her lip. Draco wondered what he was thinking. "And do you have a girlfriend?" she continued. "Is there anybody special waiting for you back at Hogwarts?"

Draco inhaled sharply, and an unfamiliar sensation swept through him. His face and neck felt warmer than they usually did. With a horrific sense of dawning, he realized that he was blushing; he suppressed a shudder at the thought. An image of Ginny floated into his mind as his mother watched his reaction curiously. Draco inwardly cursed the way that his emotions were betraying him, and feeling like he was acting like a girl, he cleared his throat, sending all thoughts of Ginny scurrying for cover.

"No," he said, surprised at how innocent yet defensive he sounded. He coughed. "A girlfriend? No." He shook his yet, but he wasn't sure if his mother was able to tell.

Narcissa nodded slowly, eyeing Draco with a small smile on her face. She didn't say anything, but Draco didn't like the way her eyes were shining. He shifted uncomfortably on the bed. Finding the position and silence awkward, he stood up and walked around the room.

"So you like it here, huh?" Draco asked, looking around the room. It certainly was nothing to brag about, but even he had to admit that it seemed cozy. He could tell that an extra bed had been added to the room for Narcissa; the one that she was sitting on right now stuck out oddly from a wall. Another bed with gold coverings was against another wall, and next to the bed stood an old nightstand. Several rusted trunks and a few boxes were stacked against yet another wall. There was a rectangular purple and gold woven rug covering part of the floor, and a few lamps were lit in the room.

"I do," Narcissa said. "It's peaceful."

"Yeah," Draco nodded.

For a while they were both silent. Draco was looking out the window at the streets of Hogsmede, and Narcissa was just content to watch Draco. Draco could see only a handful of Hogwarts students in the people below; not many came to Hogsmede on a Sunday. He suspected that many of them were tired out after the game, and that they probably had homework to finish. He could certainly think of one History of Magic essay that was only partially completed that was due on Monday, but he pushed that out of his mind. He wondered for a moment what Ginny and Hermione were doing in Hogsmede. Draco felt the desire to talk to Ginny pulling at him. The kiss he had shared with her plagued his mind, and although he wanted to talk to the girl, he wasn't sure he wanted to discuss that particular, very sensitive subject. Never before had he been shy around girls; he had always been the forward one, the one to initiate the action. That had been the case with his and Ginny's first kiss, but now that it was said and done and he'd admitted, in actions rather than words, that he cared for Ginny, he wasn't so sure he felt up to talking about it.

But he couldn't seem to think of anything but Ginny. Draco was still trying to sort out his feelings for the girl; he had never felt anything strong for girls before except lust, but he automatically knew that what he felt for Ginny was more than just that raw feeling. Draco didn't know when it had started happening, and he didn't care much anymore, but when he was around Ginny, he felt like he could drop whatever pretences he carried and just be himself. He knew that Ginny didn't think him to be like Lucius; her helping him to save his mother had been a testament to that. And the fact that Ginny was willing to accept him as Draco Malfoy rather than Lucius Malfoy's son, a supposed Death Eater, lit a spark of hope in him.

The fact that she had returned his kiss was encouraging as well…

"Draco?" Narcissa asked, startling Draco away from the window.

"Huh?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"That Ginny Weasley…" Narcissa began carefully, and Draco straightened. "I'm just curious, but what was she doing here the night you brought me here?"

"Oh," Draco said, searching for the right words. "Well, she was just – uh, making sure you got here safely. You know, she wanted to introduce me to Reina and all," he finished lamely.

Narcissa nodded slowly. "So you're friends with her, then?" Draco heard the caution in her voice and he didn't like it. His eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, I am," he said a bit defensively. Narcissa glanced down.

"I don't want to seem rude or forward," she began, "but I must say that I find that astonishing. Given how our families feel about each other, I cannot see how such a friendship ever developed."

Draco shrugged, his chest thumping in an effort to keep his temper in check. What did it matter who he was friends with? Shouldn't she just be happy that he was friends with such a wonderful person?

Narcissa looked back up at him, a confused look in her eyes. "They are blood traitors, Draco," she said as if explaining to a child that two plus two made four. "Their whole family is. We are purebloods and it is our duty to uphold that honor and dignity that comes with the title."

Draco stared at his mother before looking down, feeling hurt but understanding where she was coming from. His whole life Lucius had drilled into his brain the importance of maintaining the family honor. That meant not only socializing with other respectable pureblood families, but also to humiliate other muggleborns and blood traitors whenever possible. Lucius Malfoy, already possessing an oversized ego, delighted in belittling the Weasley family especially because they were so poor. On more than one occasion Draco had overheard his father exclaiming that he was constantly surprised, given the Weasley's love for muggles, that such a run-down family was pureblood. He always stated that he thought they'd have been better suited for a farm out in muggle-land.

Draco had always agreed with his father and had made it one of his goals while at school to make a fool out of Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and of course, Harry Potter as well. While he still despised the three people, he had since come to learn that blood didn't matter as much. Right off the top of his head Draco could think of ten reasons why he shouldn't be friends with Ginny, and while the friendship was rather unexpected, it was appreciated nonetheless.

"I can't help who my friends are," Draco shrugged. "It just sort of happened." Narcissa sighed heavily but said no more. "I suppose I'd better be getting back," Draco said. "I have an essay to finish."

"You're not mad at me are you, Draco?" Narcissa asked fearfully, standing to look her son in the eye.

"No," Draco sighed. He really wasn't. His mother, even under the Imperious Curse, had always been rather proud of her pureblood heritage. Draco couldn't expect her to give up that pride just because she was free from Lucius. Maybe, over time, he could convince her that Ginny wasn't all that bad. But in the mean time, he would just have to put up with Narcissa.

With one last look at his mother, he left the room and headed downstairs. After he let Reina know that he was leaving, Draco walked out into the streets and headed back towards Hogwarts with no intentions of completing the essay that he had excused himself to finish.

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**A/N:** Hope you guys weren't too disappointed or upset by that boring chapter. I'm not fond of it. Next chapter will hopefully be better.

Just a question for you…how long of chapters do you guys prefer? I mean, do you like the super long ones like Chapter 22, the really short ones like Chapters 1 and 12, or medium-length ones such as Chapter 20? I'm just curious because some people don't like reading the really long ones, some are annoyed with really short ones (myself included), yet some aren't quite satisfied with medium ones. I'm just wondering what you guys prefer.

And in case any of you were confused about my disclaimer...allow me to explain. "Cheeseheads" refer to Green Bay Packer fans. In case you don't know football, that's a team in the NFC North of the NFL. Anyway, I am not a Packer fan. I am a die hard Minnesota Viking fan. Packer fans are called "Cheeseheads" because they have these hats that look like a wedge of cheese. I refer to all Packer fans as Cheeseheads. Now in case you aren't a football fan, Viking fans and Packer fans do not get along. To put it in perspective...the relationship between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers is like the relationship between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy in J.K.'s books. I mean, we're not trying to kill each other or anything, but there is definately some heavy rivlary between us. So hopefully my disclaimer makes more sense now.

Reviews welcome!

Lauren


	35. Pansy Perturbed

I just want to reply to a review from _**WaterInAPuddle.**_ Normally I'd just use the review response, but I'd rather make it clear to everybody. There actually is some bone in the nose. Most of it is cartilage, like you said, but higher up on the nose, there's bone. I don't want to sound like an expert on the human body, and I have no first-hand experience with broken noses, but I do know that there are bones in the nose. The injury I had Draco have is actually a nose fracture, and according to About .com, a nose fracture is a break in the bone over the bridge of the nose.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. Only the plot.

**Chapter 35: Pansy Perturbed**

After Ginny and Hermione got back to the castle that afternoon, they split their ways. Hermione wanted to wait in the common room for Harry and Ron to get back from Hogsmede, and Ginny decided that she had better finish her homework. Ginny thought that secretly Hermione was worried about what Harry and Ron were doing to Ewan, but the older girl had said nothing of it and Ginny had decided not to question her.

So hours later, Ginny found herself sitting cross-legged on her bed with the curtains pulled shut, a book sitting on her lap, and a piece of parchment resting on one page. She tapped her quill against the blank parchment, her vision blurring as her mind started to wander. The two lines that she had written started to grow fuzzy and soon blurred together, but Ginny didn't blink. Her mind seemed so strained from her attempt at her Transfiguration essay that she was too tired to think of anything.

With a sigh, Ginny blinked a few times to get her eyes to focus. Then, suddenly realizing how stuffy it was, Ginny parted the curtains to let in some fresh air. She looked out the window and saw that it was dark already; the days were just starting to get longer, but even still the sky was black long before dinner.

Ginny stuck the parchment in her book and set her items on the nightstand. As she stood from the bed, she stretched her back and felt a tingling sensation run through her numb legs. Shaking her head against the dizziness she felt as the blood rushed to her head, she walked down to the common room. There she found a very upset-looking Hermione shouting at Ron.

"How could you do that to him?" she shrieked. Most of the common room was empty since it was dinner time, but those who were still there were watching the three Gryffindors with curiosity. "You know how much I like him! Ron, you're a complete block-head!"

"Hey, at least we were trying to be nice, right?" Ron countered, his face already red. "You have to give us credit for that!"

Ginny paused on the bottom step, unsure exactly what Harry and Ron had done.

"But look what you've done to him!" Hermione threw her hands up in the air and flopped onto a couch, putting her head in her hands. "You've ruined one of the qualities I liked best in him."

"Come on, Hermione," Harry said hesitantly. "We didn't do anything wrong. In a way, we've made him better."

Ginny let out a nervous laugh, but nobody heard her. Hermione's head was slowly rising to look at Harry incredulously. Ginny knew better than to get in the middle of this. She tip-toed across the room as quietly as possible, knowing that at any minute Hermione was going to explode, and exited the common room as she heard Hermione declare, "Better? You think he's better now! I'll have you know, Harry James Potter, that I liked him just the way he was!"

Ginny sighed in relief as the portrait hole closed behind her, blocking out the sound of Hermione's fury. She wondered just exactly what Harry and Ron had done to Ewan to deserve such a berating, but she was just glad she didn't have to put up with it. Sure, Hermione was her best friend, and when she wanted consoling, Ginny would be there for her, but Hermione, Ron, and Harry had their own triangle of friendship formed. More than a few times Ginny had felt awkward around them, like she was intruding on their space, but Hermione insisted that she spend time with them. She knew that Ron didn't like her hanging around them very much, but he was better about it than when Ginny had first come to Hogwarts. Nevertheless, Ginny didn't want to become annoying to them.

When Ginny sat down at the Gryffindor table, she put a bit of food on her plate and ate as she contemplated things. She had by now decided that after dinner, she was going to go to the Owlry and send Draco another letter. Though their, or rather, _her,_ last trip into the tunnel hadn't been successful at all, Ginny was more confident now. And with the newest disappearance, even if it was someone she hated, she wanted more than ever to solve the mystery. It was eating at her mind, taunting her, and she couldn't seem to think of anything else. Neville was the only person she wanted to get back. The boy was very sweet and didn't deserve half of the trouble people gave him. Ginny tried to tell others not to pick on him, but it seemed Neville's fate had been decided for him already. She sighed and shook her head. It just seemed so wrong that Neville Longbottom of all people should have this happen to him.

Ginny had positioned herself at the Gryffindor table so that she had a perfect view of the Slytherins. Thankfully nobody was sitting directly across from her to block her vision, and she searched the table to find a certain blonde-haired boy. She found him almost immediately and smiled. He was sitting next to Crabbe and Goyle but he was eating silently, looking down at his plate. She thought back to the way Draco had kissed and held her a few nights ago and she blushed.

Ginny looked down to hide her red face. Nobody had ever kissed her like Draco had and she found herself wishing he would do it again; this both embarrassed and excited her. But Draco was verboten to her. She knew that even if by some miracle they could be together, it wouldn't be able to go far. Nobody would support their relationship. Her family would feel betrayed, she knew, but they might in time learn to accept Draco. At least she hoped her parents would. Ron would try to kill Draco. All of that she could handle, but she knew Draco's family would not be so accepting. As Draco had put it, if Lucius Malfoy found out about Ginny, he would try to kill her. Ginny didn't think Narcissa Malfoy would be quite so drastic, but she already knew deep down that the woman disliked her; she had seen it in Narcissa's eyes a week ago. And that was just their families. What would everybody else think? People would think it was all some big joke, some stunt to gain attention or money. _They'll think I'm trading up, _Ginny thought as her heart sank. _It could never work out._

Ginny looked back up to see Draco watching her. He looked away quickly, and Ginny couldn't help but smile softly. She told herself that she was being ridiculous. She and Draco had only kissed once; it wasn't like they were engaged now. She was getting way ahead of herself, thinking off all this relationship business. Draco would probably just shrug off the whole situation and never speak of it again. The thought of that happening pained her, but she knew Draco had never committed himself to one girl before. He was with a new girl every week, though she had to admit, he had been with hardly anybody so far this year. But she knew Draco's reputation. Why would he suddenly stop with the play-boy act and be solely hers? If he admitted that he liked her and Ginny plucked up enough courage to request it of him, that is.

Ginny sighed and laughed at her own silliness. She'd just wait and see how Draco acted around her. By now she had finished with her meal, but Draco was still eating. She didn't want to go send the letter until she knew that he'd be in his room. So she waited. And while she waited she watched Draco. He had gotten to the Great Hall before Ginny and still he was eating. It amazed Ginny that anybody could eat so much. But then she thought of Ron and she wasn't so amazed anymore; her brother ate like a pig. Had the manners of one too, she decided.

She glanced back at Draco. Ginny had never taken him for one to eat a lot. His body certainly didn't look like he ate much; on the contrary, he looked rather underfed. _Curse Malfoy and his bloody fast metabolism, _Ginny thought with a frown. If her metabolism worked half so fast, she'd never complain again.

Her eyes traveled over Draco once more. Goyle apparently had just said something funny, because suddenly Draco laughed; Goyle looked proud, as if he had just done something right. Ginny smiled herself as she watched Draco. He rarely laughed or smiled like that in her company. Once in a while he would, but it still seemed like he was getting over any scruples he had about being friends with Ginny.

Just then, a still-angry Hermione blocked Ginny's vision of Draco by taking the seat across from her. Ginny looked at her friend and then at the worried looks on Harry's and Ron's faces behind her.

"Hermione, we're not sure what we did wrong, but please –"

"Don't talk to me right now," Hermione said tiredly, though Ginny could still see the fire in her eyes. Ron made to protest but Hermione turned to them with a deadly look on her face. "Don't," she said heavily. Ron and Harry looked at each other and then walked away, glancing back anxiously at their friend. They sat down several feet away and started whispering.

"What on earth happened?" Ginny asked, her eyebrows raised.

Hermione looked back at her and Ginny could see the frustrated tears in her eyes. "They ruined Ewan," Hermione said, folding her arms across her chest.

"What?" Ginny asked as worry filled her.

"They_ ruined_ him," Hermione repeated. "They took him to that stupid Quidditch store and Ron said that by the time they left, Ewan was, in Ron's words, mind you, 'so fascinated by the game that the bloke would probably try out for the Ravenclaw team if this wasn't his seventh year.'"

Ginny felt herself relax and bit back a smile. "So they got your boyfriend into Quidditch, did they?"

"I mean, when they came back to the common room, they actually seemed proud, by it," Hermione said, her voice rising a few notches. "Proud!"

"Don't shout, Hermione," Ginny said, glancing around.

Hermione looked around embarrassedly and continued on more quietly. "Sorry," she said. "But I can't believe they did this to him."

Ginny didn't say anything. Honestly, she didn't know what to say. She secretly agreed with the boys; teaching Ewan about Quidditch wasn't a bad idea. But Hermione was different. Ginny couldn't just come out and say that to her. She sighed.

"Really, Hermione, it's not as bad as you think," Ginny reassured her. "Quidditch isn't all that bad, and besides, it's not like Ewan actually plays the game. He won't be obsessed about it like Ron and Harry are."

Hermione looked doubtful. "You didn't hear Harry and Ron. They said Ewan was in love with it, Ginny. In _love,_ with it!"

Ginny laughed. "Hermione, listen to yourself for a second. It's just a game, after all. Isn't that what you were saying just this afternoon?"

"That's different," Hermione pouted. "That was before my boyfriend liked it."

"Oh come on, Hermione," Ginny said, rolling her eyes at Hermione's uncharacteristically juvenile behavior. "Ewan isn't suddenly going to turn into some crazed fan just because he's picked up a new hobby, if it can be called that. He's in love with _you,_ not Quidditch."

Hermione suddenly blushed crimson and looked away. Ginny, seeing her opportunity to get her friend off the Quidditch tirade, took advantage of the situation. "Why are you blushing, Hermione?" she asked slyly.

"What?" Hermione asked, turning even redder. "I'm not blushing."

"Right," snorted Ginny. "So you just got an instant sunburn. Indoors, I might add."

"Well what's your point?" Hermione asked, shifting in her seat uncomfortably.

"I said that Ewan loved you and your face just burst out in blush," Ginny said, grinning widely. "Do you love him back?"

"Hush," Hermione said, looking around to see if anybody had heard. She leaned forward across the table, and Ginny did the same, not wanting to miss what Hermione was about to say. "Ewan has said no such thing yet and neither have I."

They sat back in their seats. Hermione sighed, thinking that the conversation was over. Ginny wasn't about to let her off the hook just yet. "But you obviously want him to say it," Ginny continued. "You wouldn't blush otherwise.

"Oh for Heaven's sake, Ginny," Hermione said in exasperation. "Give it up. You'll not get anything more out of me."

But as Hermione got up and went to sit next to Harry and Ron, the smile on her face gave Ginny her answer anyway. Ginny smiled as she saw Harry and Ron tentatively watch Hermione as if she were about to bite them.

Then she suddenly remembered why she was in the Great Hall and glanced at the Slytherin table. Draco was gone now, so, knowing that it was safe to send the letter, got up and went to the Owlry.

Once there, she grabbed a quill and some of the parchment there and wrote:

_Dear Draco,_

_I was thinking that we should probably try going down into the tunnel again tomorrow night. We need to figure this out before anybody else is taken. If you agree, write back and let me know._

_Ginny_

Ginny read the letter over and frowned. Something about it didn't seem right to her, but she shrugged it off and called down one of the school owls anyway.

* * *

Half an hour later, as Ginny was once again mulling over her homework, she heard a tapping at her window. Knowing exactly what it was, she jumped off her bed and ran to the window, opening it to let in the same owl she had sent her letter with. She untied the response and the owl flew off.

_Dear Ginny,_

_That's fine with me if we go tomorrow. Same time, I suppose? I just know how much you love midnight. I'll meet you down by the tunnel entrance then._

Ginny frowned. _I just know how much you love midnight?_ What was that supposed to mean? Normally she would've expected Draco's letter to end right there, but to Ginny's surprise and delight, it continued on.

_I went to see my mother today. She seemed well enough. Reina says she stays in her room most of the day, but it's for her own good. She can't be seen around by any of the customers. Word would surely get back to my father if she was._

_Thanks again for helping me with her. You have no idea how much I appreciate it._

_Draco_

Ginny sat stunned, and then read the letter again. She started smiling halfway through it. Draco had thanked her the night they saved Narcissa, but it had just been a simple "Thanks." Ordinarily it was nothing too special, but coming from Draco, it meant so much. And he had thanked her again! Ginny's mind spun.

_You have no idea how much I appreciate it. _

Ginny sighed happily. She felt like a silly twit for letting his words affect her so much, but she couldn't help it. Draco had never before paid her a compliment of any kind. Even the fact that he had written more than was necessary in his letter showed how much more open he was with her than earlier.

That night Ginny went to bed with a smile on her face and her heart lighter than it had been in days.

* * *

Sunday afternoon found Ginny Weasley walking down the path towards Hogsmede. She had finally finished her homework that morning and had been sitting bored in the common room listening to Ron and Harry complain about how much homework Snape had given them. Hermione had been saying quite cheerfully that it wasn't that much homework and that if they had started it a week ago when it had been assigned, they wouldn't be in such a mess now. When Ginny had voiced her agreement with Hermione, Ron had told her to bugger off.

So, here she was. Frankly, Ginny was enjoying the surroundings. The sun was shining, sending down rays of warmth to ward off the late winter chill. There were only a few other students walking to Hogsmede that day. Ginny was planning on visiting Reina to make sure everything was really turning out with Narcissa Malfoy playing room-mate. Ginny had debated with herself whether or not to actually go; she didn't fancy another meeting with Narcissa. But Draco had said that his mother usually stayed upstairs during the day, so Ginny decided to risk it. She kept telling herself that if she didn't stay long, nothing bad would happen.

She heard a loud crack to her left and jumped at the noise. A branch that was almost disappearing under the load of snow it was holding had just split and was only hanging onto the tree by a few splinters of wood. Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes at her own jumpiness; her heart rate had skyrocketed at the sudden sound of the branch breaking.

Ginny paused when she reached Reina's shop. She stared at the door, once again thinking if she should or shouldn't go inside. Ginny wasn't about to let one person ruin the friendship she had with Reina, however, so as she took a deep breath, she resolutely pushed open the door and walked inside.

Nervously Ginny looked around, half expecting to see Narcissa Malfoy jump out from around the corner and hex her at any second. Ginny didn't see her, though. She made her way to the back of the store and saw Reina sitting at her desk, hands resting in her lap, head staring straight at the ceiling. Ginny stood in front of her for a second and was just about to announce her presence when Reina spoke.

"I thought I'd be seeing you soon, Ginny," Reina said, straightening her head. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Ginny said, getting over her momentary shock that Reina had noticed her; then she remembered the woman's psychic abilities. Reina stood, stretched, and motioned for Ginny to follow her into the kitchen, which Ginny did. Once they were seated and each had a cup of tea, Ginny said, "I was just checking to see how things were going."

"If you mean how things are going with Narcissa Malfoy, then they're fine," Reina smiled. "The two of us have a sort of respect for each other, I like to think. She doesn't say much, but then in what she doesn't say, in a way, she says a lot."

Ginny frowned, trying to make sense of Reina's words. Reina seemed to notice Ginny's puzzlement for she laughed. "Let me rephrase that, sugar. Think of it. I don't know a lot about the wizarding community at large, but I do know that folks like the Malfoys pride themselves on being pureblood. I was there once; I know what kind of 'honor' that is," Reina sighed. "My own parents were never particularly fond of muggleborns or…or – or of squibs." Reina paused for a moment, and Ginny felt her heart go out to the woman. "That was why when I turned out to be one, they took it so hard. But anyway, folks like the Malfoys are like my parents. Now I see no reason other than the fact that I took her in that Narcissa Malfoy should like me or even talk to me."

"I don't get it," Ginny said with a shrug her shoulders.

"Well think about it," Reina continued, looking thoughtful. "Narcissa could taunt me, degrade me, and boss me around all because I'm a squib. But she _doesn't,"_ Reina said, pointing her tea spoon at Ginny. "She says nothing. And I think that's her way of saying that she accepts me," Reina concluded.

"But why doesn't she just come out and say that, then?" Ginny asked. "Why does she have to beat around the bush about it?"

"She's not used to accepting people much is my theory," Reina shrugged. "So instead of being mean, she says nothing and therefore accepts me."

Ginny nodded contemplatively. If Narcissa was so accepting of Reina, then perhaps she might accept Ginny as well. Ginny shrugged to herself. She saw no reason why a Malfoy would like a squib and not a muggle-lover. Maybe she read too much into the way Narcissa looked at her the night she arrived at Reina's; maybe Narcissa had just been tired and overwhelmed by everything. A ribbon of hope unraveled inside Ginny. _This might not be so bad after all, _Ginny thought.

As if their thoughts had suddenly materialized, the door to the kitchen opened and in walked Narcissa Malfoy. Ginny panicked then, wondering what in the world the woman had come downstairs for; Draco had said that she stayed upstairs. Then Ginny recalled the conversation she'd just had with Reina, and she smiled at Narcissa, who was still standing in the doorway. All she got in response was cold look.

Ginny looked away, feeling foolish. Her smile was gone and in place was a crest-fallen look, her heart weighed down by the disappointment she felt. Narcissa looked around the room momentarily, and then she locked eyes with Reina, completely ignoring Ginny's presence.

"I'm sorry, Reina," Narcissa said stiffly. "I didn't know you had company. I'll go back upstairs and we can talk after_ she's_ gone." Narcissa sent Ginny one last hard, disapproving look before she turned around and left the room.

Ginny felt unwanted tears fill her eyes and she looked away in embarrassment. Sniffing, she wiped her eyes dry and looked back at Reina, offering an apologetic smile. "Sorry," she said, standing up. "But I think I'd better be going now. Lots to do." Ginny wrung her hands together nervously, before she turned around and ran from the room.

"Ginny, wait!" Reina called after her, but Ginny didn't care, didn't listen. She fled the shop and ran though Hogsmede. She didn't know where she was headed but at the moment, she didn't care. Ginny just shut everything out of her mind and let her feet carry her wherever they wished. The tears she had earlier wiped away now came full-force, leaving hot trails down her face that the cold air left stinging. Her throat burned from her hurried flight and the chill air she was breathing in and Ginny slowed down. Eventually she stopped and looked around her. A laugh she didn't quite feel escaped her when she saw what she was standing in front of.

A small, snow-dusted bench sat along the Hogsmede walk-way. It was the same bench that Ginny had sat in before Christmas, the one she had fallen asleep in right before getting lost in the snow with Draco. She sat down, a reluctant smile on her lips as she thought, _But I won't fall asleep this time._

Ginny sighed as she thought of how silly she was being. She shouldn't care if Narcissa Malfoy liked her or not; she didn't need the woman's approval. But for some reason, Ginny _did_ care what the woman thought of her. It bothered Ginny to know that she wasn't good enough for Narcissa. Never before had she needed anybody's approval. When Draco Malfoy and his cronies had made fun of her, it had never bothered her.

So why the sudden change of mind? Why did Ginny need to be liked? She honestly didn't know. Nothing had changed, nothing was different in Ginny's life. Years ago, Ginny could've cared less about what Narcissa Malfoy, or any other Malfoy, thought about her. There was only one thing that was any different and that thing was…

_Draco,_ Ginny realized with an intake of breath. Then it all hit her and she knew why Narcissa's approval was so important to her. If she could even envision some sort of future with Draco, it would mean nothing without the approval and help of the only family member he had who cared for him at all. Ginny knew there was reason for her to even consider a future with Draco, especially since he had only kissed her once and never spoken to her since, but she couldn't help but think of it. Often times, if she even had the minutest crush on a boy, she'd think of herself with that boy's last name to see how it sounded. Such silly thoughts were those of a little girl, but even though Ginny wasn't little anymore, she couldn't reform her ways.

Ginny could only hope that Narcissa would change her own ways. Maybe one day Narcissa would be able to look past Ginny's last name and see her as a human being, not just some crazy person who was decent to muggles.

But until that day, she would always have to endure Narcissa's cold looks that robbed Ginny's heart of any sort of hope.

* * *

Down in Hogsmede, Pansy Parkinson was giving her captors quite the beating. Verbally and mentally, that is. For the past half-hour, he'd been up in his work-room trying to ignore her shouts for help, demands that she be released, and plain shrieks of annoyance. As the girl let out a particularly loud screech, he shook his head to get rid of the ringing and got back to work. He felt sorry for Neville Longbottom; the two were chained up next to each other and he could only imagine what the boy's ears must be going through right now.

"Poor lad," he muttered, shaking his head before resuming his reading. The book that lay before him now was entitled Fantastic Feats You Never Knew You Could Do, written by the late Alfred P. Hephernire. The book had lay unused downstairs in his library for some time now and only recently had he thought to look in it. It was a good thing he had looked, too, because this book was vastly interesting.

Turning the page, he sat up straighter as a particular section caught his eye.

_To the average wizard, ears are merely a means of listening. Though that is a very useful feature, Piers Hopkins, a retired Ministry employee, recently discovered a new and highly entertaining way to alter the shape and appearance of the human ear._

_During a 4-year study of muggle habits, rituals, culture, cuisine, and careers, Hopkins discovered a renowned character in muggle children's folklore: an elephant by the name of "Dumbo." Dumbo, an elephant rejected because of his abnormally large ears, captured Hopkins's attention and he returned to England with his heart set on creating a spell to alter his own ears to look like those of Dumbo's._

_After several botched attempts, including one where he removed his own ears, Hopkins successfully created such a spell. The wizarding community ridiculed Hopkins for his apparent waste of time for creating a spell of "no significance," but we here feel that it is worthy of being remembered. That is why, below, instructions can be found on how to transfigure one's ears into those which Piers Hopkins's spell is designed to create._

He stopped reading, a gleeful smile spreading across his face. This wasn't exactly what he was looking for, but it seemed entertaining enough. Perhaps he just needed a break from the work he was doing at the moment, something to refresh his mind.

Plus, the thought of his newest captive wearing large, elephant-like ears was vastly amusing.

So, after he had memorized the instructions, he left the room and walked downstairs. Once on the main floor, he walked into the kitchen and opened the door that led to his basement. He always kept the basement brightly lit, and though the basement was small, he found it very inviting.

As soon as his feet stepped onto the wooden stairs, the shouting from below stopped. When he got down below, he walked over to the wall where Neville Longbottom and Pansy Parkinson were standing, their hands chained to the wall. Neville, who had at first been terrified, had by now grown accustomed to his presence and had even warmed up to him slightly when he found that he would be released shortly. Pansy Parkinson, on the other hand, had refused any sort of condolences and had made it her mission to torture them both into insanity with her cries for freedom.

"You had better let me out of here right now or I swear that my father will sue you until you own nothing but your own shattered dignity!" Pansy wailed, her tear-streaked face eliminating any sort of harshness her hoarse voice held. "Did you hear me?"

He was just about to reply that he was sure everybody in Hogsmede would be able to hear her if it weren't for the silencing charm on his house when she let out a blood-curdling scream. Wincing, he clapped his hands over his ears. He saw when he looked up that Neville, whose hands were chained and therefore offered no protection for his ears, had a pained look on his face and his eyes were squeezed shut. When Pansy finished, she glared at him, panting for breath.

"I don't know how many times I've told you," he sighed, "screaming will do you no good. This house has a silencing charm on it and nobody outside can possibly hear you."

"I don't care," Pansy whined. "I want out of here!" She screamed, trying to yank her hands from the chains. "Let me go! You can't do this! You of all people shouldn't be –"

He sighed loudly, cutting her off. "Never mind that." He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I've finally found out what I'm going to do with you."

Pansy's face went white. "What are you going to do? You'll be sorry if you mess with me. I'm Pansy Parkinson for crying out loud! This is not right!" She let out an irritated scream. "This goes against all things natural! I am a pureblood! I am to be treated with respect!"

"You do know who I am, right?" he asked quietly. "You do know what I _do?_ I wouldn't be saying you could make me sorry."

"Just because you're –"

"Enough!" he said harshly, quieting the girl. "I've had enough of this. The only thing you're making me sorry of is that I chose you of all people!"

Neville suddenly laughed. He turned to look at the boy, and when Neville saw that he had been heard, he stopped laughing, but a smile remained on his face. "Well, Neville," he said, "what do _you_ think we should do with Miss Parkinson?"

"Don't ask _him!"_ Pansy shrieked, suddenly looking panicked. "He's practically a squib. He doesn't know anything. I, for one, find being in his presence highly insulting."

Neville looked back at him uncertainly. "Well, for starters, you could, uh…" he looked nervously at Pansy, who was silently daring him to say anything. "Well, I-I mean, if you wanted to, er…"

"Come now, Neville, don't be shy," he said happily. "I'm sure anything you wish to put Miss Parkinson through would only be fair considering how annoying she's been. Go for it, boy!"

"How dare you say that I'm annoying!" said Pansy indignantly. "If you want annoying, I'll show you annoying!" With that said, Pansy then took a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs.

He covered his ears again, and Neville started shouting, "Take her voice away! Please!" He sounded desperate. "I can't take it anymore!"

Pansy kept screaming, the sound echoing a bit in the room. His own ears were throbbing quite painfully.

"Silencio the stupid bint!" Neville shouted, and he himself didn't need to be told twice.

Pansy, seemingly deaf to what Neville had just said, kept on screaming as he pulled out his wand and shouted, "Silencio!"

A blessed silence filled the room. He tentatively brought his other hand away from his ear. Neville was looking awe-struck at what had just come from his own mouth, but a look of relief was on his face. "Thanks," he said.

"No problem," came the reply.

Pansy's mouth was working furiously, no doubt saying some very unpleasant things to both himself and Mr. Longbottom, but thankfully nobody could hear her. After a moment, she stopped with a very affronted look on her face.

"Well, now that we are all quiet," he said, clearing his throat, "I can do what I came down here for. You, Miss Parkinson, have proved useless until now. I took you with the specific thought that a girl would work better for my experimentations, but I was wrong. You worked no better than Mr. Longbottom here. No offense, Neville," he said, nodding towards the boy. "I could just return you to the school, but I think I should have a little fun first. You shall be able to entertain me for I have a spell here that I've never tried before. However," he continued, "it sounds highly amusing and I can just picture you with it."

Pansy looked frightened at the fact that a spell he'd never tried before was going to be performed on her, but she didn't open her mouth to silently protest.

He suddenly thought of something. "Tell me, Miss Parkinson, has your face always been so squashed?" he asked, looking interestedly at Pansy. Neville let out a short laugh. Pansy opened her mouth, and he suspected that if the girl could speak, she would've just gasped very loudly. Her face was that of peer astonishment. Then her brows creased angrily and a look of hatred appeared. She thrashed her arms, trying to free herself as she tired to shout at him.

Sighing, he shrugged. "Ah, well, I suppose it has. Anyway, that's beside the point. It will, however, create a most interesting look once I give you your new ears."

At this, Neville looked at him questioningly and Pansy stopped screaming, a look of terror on her face. "Now, how did that spell go?" he asked himself, raising his wand. "Oh yes, now I remember."

Grinning, he raised his wand and performed the spell he'd seen in the book. Pansy was at once consumed in a grayish mist, completely blocking her from sight. Neville watched on curiously but a little frightened as well. When the mist disappeared, Pansy was revealed to them.

He gasped as he saw Pansy, but he was smiling as well because the sight was so amusing. Pansy was standing just where she had been before, except instead of human ears, she now wore a large pair of elephant ears. She glanced terrified out of the corner of her eyes, trying to see exactly what was attached to her head, and when she saw the tip of the grey ear flopping beside her nose, she opened her mouth and let out what he was sure would've been a piercing scream.

Doubling over in laughter, his whole body shook. The sight of the girl, so conceited and enamored with herself, wearing elephant ears was almost too much for him to take. He could hear Neville laughing as well. Looking up, he saw that Pansy's face was white and she was breathing heavily, no longer fighting the silencing curse on her; her very large ears were moving back and forth with each deep breath she took in, and the sight of it almost sent him into hysterics again.

Then, fearing that the girl was about to pass out because she was hyperventilating, he conjured a calming draught and forced it down her mouth. At once some color came back into her face and her breathing slowed, but now she was glaring at him most venomously.

"Well," he said, not bothering to hide his grin, "I'd definitely say that that spell was very amusing, wouldn't you say so, Neville?"

Neville nodded eagerly.

"Miss Parkinson, I'm so glad that you were able to join us," he said politely. "This has truly been an experience. No doubt you'll be glad to get rid of this memory, and those ears as well, but I like to return the students with a little something special. Mr. Harding, I regret to say, got no parting gift from me, but Mr. Johnson did. I hope your fellow students will find your new ears as entertaining as I did." He chuckled good-naturedly. Good-bye," he said, tilting his head forward in acknowledgment before he raised his wand.

"Obliviate!"

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**A/N:** Hmm…so what's going to happen when Pansy returns to the school? Hopefully it'll be interesting. And I promise, the next chapter will finally be better than these last few have been. Also, there'll be the confrontation between Draco and Ginny. Quite frankly, I have no idea how that'll turn out, so I can't give you any clue about when this'll be updated. I sense writer's block coming on. Please review though! Thanks to everybody that reviewed the last chapter!

Lauren


	36. More Than a Feeling

I do something a little different with the POVs in this chapter. Normally I stick with either Draco's or Ginny's or anybody else's POV until there's a page break, and then I either switch POVs or go to a new scene. Well in the first section of this chapter, right after the first page break, I switch back and forth a few times between Draco's and Ginny's POV without the page breaks. It was just easier this way. You'll see. But then after the next page break, I go back to normal. 

But…Everybody celebrate! Metallica finally joined iTunes!

Disclaimer: The only thing I own at the moment is a headache. So please, keep your Harry Potter legal issues to yourself until I'm feeling better able to handle a lawsuit. And even when I'm feeling better…still keep it to yourself.

**Chapter 36: More Than a Feeling**

Ginny sat on a chair in her room, staring at her reflection in the mirror that rested on the dresser. She sighed, drumming her fingers against the wood top. Biting her lip, she turned her face to the left and looked at her reflection. She frowned and turned her head the other way.

"Oh it's no use," Ginny said grumpily, slumping back in her seat. She glared resentfully at herself. She pointed her chin upwards and stared at the mirror again, seeing what others saw when she was looking down.

She didn't like what she saw.

Hopelessly she leaned forward and looked closely at her face, at the freckles that she hated. She sighed again and looked at the brown and pink wooden box sitting on her dresser.

_Should I or shouldn't I?_ Ginny contemplated, biting her lip again. She stared hard at the box that she had, on a whim, gone and asked to borrow from Parvati. It was filled with all sorts of makeup, stuff that Ginny usually avoided. But for reasons that Ginny couldn't explain, she was very nervous about tonight. In just a few hours, she'd be going to meet Draco down at the tunnel, and it was the first time she'd be able to talk to him face to face since he had kissed her.

Ginny let out a deep breath and inspected herself again. She'd always been self-conscious, vain too, though not in the typical way. Ginny didn't think herself to be anything extraordinary to look at; she never had thought that. But that never stopped her from wishing she was different. Maybe if she was just a bit taller, she'd be okay. Or if her face didn't have quite so many freckles, she'd be a bit more confident. Though the freckles weren't nearly as prominent as they had been years ago, they were still there, and Ginny hated it.

But what bothered her more was why this was suddenly such a problem. Ginny had learned to accept herself, to face the fact that she'd never be as pretty as some other girls. Now, though, all her insecurities of years past seemed to pile up on her two-fold.

Deep down Ginny knew the source of this problem, knew that it was because of Draco. She hated to admit that what he thought of her was important, but at the same time, she wanted to look nice for him. Draco Malfoy was used to a beautiful nearly always clinging to his arm. So Ginny had gone to Parvati and asked to borrow one of the things she despised.

_What am I doing?_ Ginny thought, shaking her head sadly. She sighed and closed the box that she had tentatively opened. _This isn't me; this isn't who I am._

Ginny let out a frustrated growl of annoyance at herself and walked out of the room, makeup box tucked under her arm. She knocked and entered the seventh-year girls' dormitory and saw Hermione digging through her trunk and Parvati and Lavendar both sitting on a bed, looking at pictures in a magazine. Hermione turned and smiled at Ginny.

"Hey," Hermione said. Ginny smiled back but headed towards Parvati and Lavendar. She could feel Hermione watching her questioningly.

"Here," Ginny said, handing the box to Parvati. "I decided that I don't need it. But thanks for letting me borrow it."

Before Parvati could ask why she didn't want to use the makeup, Ginny turned around and walked out of the room, not daring to look Hermione in the eye. She knew Hermione was suspicious. Ginny had protested the entire time Parvati and Lavendar had put makeup on them for the Christmas ball. Hermione knew what was in that box.

But what Hermione didn't know was why Ginny wanted at, especially at nine o'clock at night. Ginny cursed herself for her bad timing; she shouldn't have picked that exact minute to return the makeup.

When Ginny got back to her room, she set her alarm clock for twenty minutes till midnight and crawled into bed, not bothering to change out of her clothes. The rest of Ginny's dorm-mates were not in the room yet, and Ginny was grateful. She doused the lights with a wave of her wand and laid her head down, trying to get some sleep before midnight.

* * *

Draco slowly walked through the deserted corridors that night. While he was eager to get to the tunnel and see Ginny, at the same time he was dreading it. It'd been almost a week since he'd last seen her, since he'd kissed her. Was she going to hate him for it? Draco knew that wouldn't happen, but he couldn't help but feel slightly pessimistic.

_She wouldn't ask to come down here again if she hated you, you know, _he told himself. The truth was, Draco was terrified of her. It was more like he was terrified of disappointing her, of building up her hopes only to have them shatter at any moment. If they did end up being together, their relationship couldn't go any further than at school. Exactly what Draco would do with his life after school was still unknown; he would, according to his father, get the Dark Mark and join Voldemort. Draco knew that he wouldn't, though.

No, after school, he'd probably try to find a safe place for himself and his mother. And after that…well, then Draco would see. All he knew is that he would have nothing to do with Voldemort or his father. Being with Ginny would complicate things too much, no matter how much Draco did want to be with her.

But hadn't she said she was willing to work through it? Hadn't she said, back when Draco's attempt to erase his memory had failed, that they would find another way to resist his father? Draco smiled as he walked down a flight of steps.

She had.

Sooner than Draco would have liked, he reached the tunnel entrance. Ginny was nowhere in sight, so he rested against the castle wall, grateful for a few extra minutes to compose himself. It seemed so strange that while they were going back into the tunnel to get further than last time and hopefully find whoever was taking the students, he and Ginny could be so concerned about a relationship together. Draco could just imagine the look on Ron Weasley's face if he were to find Ginny with Draco Malfoy, his worst enemy. He laughed as he imagined it.

"Glad to see you're in a good mood," said a very familiar voice. Looking up, Draco saw Ginny Weasley approaching him, a slight smile on her face.

"Hey," he greeted, pushing himself off of the wall. Ginny stood before him, looking up at him. He could tell that she was nervous…shy, really. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yeah," Ginny nodded. Lighting her wand, she stepped into the tunnel and glanced over her shoulder to see if Draco was going to follow her. He did, his heart beating uncomfortably quickly. He lit his wand, adding to the light coming from Ginny's.

For a few minutes, both of them walked slowly and silently. Draco figured that Ginny would never initiate a conversation that had to do with their kiss. She was too shy to. Draco wasn't used to shy girls, but he found the change both refreshing and exciting. No, Ginny would never be the one to bring up that subject. If they were going to talk about it tonight, it would have to be by Draco's doing.

But then Ginny proved him wrong.

"Draco?" Ginny asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"What?" Draco replied, curious. She seemed embarrassed by what she was going to ask, making Draco suspect that it had nothing to do with what they were going to do in the tunnel.

"Some things are worth living for, right?" she asked determinedly, continuing to walk. "Worth fighting and dying for?"

"Yes," Draco said, glancing uneasily at Ginny. He had a feeling he knew where she was going with this.

"What about me?" she asked suddenly, stopping to stand and look straight at Draco.

Draco halted from the bluntness of her question. "Huh?" he asked, blinking.

"Am I worth fighting for?" she asked, her cheeks reddening as if she couldn't believe that she was asking these questions. Draco stared at her dumbly for a few seconds as he wondered what he should say.

"I suppose that all came out wrong," Ginny sighed, looking away embarrassedly. "What I mean to say is…I guess – I-I don't know," she shrugged. Draco watched her breathlessly. Then she looked up with a fierce look on her face. "What did it mean?" she asked.

"What did what mean?" Draco asked, knowing perfectly well what she was talking about.

From what Draco could tell from the dim light in the tunnel, Ginny's face was quite red, and he suddenly felt a ashamed of himself for making her go through such an awkward moment. However, he was quite relieved that he hadn't been the one to start this conversation.

"When you kissed me," she said quickly. "And all those things you said before that. What did it mean?"

Now it was Draco's turn to be uncomfortable. He stared at the ground, his mind racing. He knew _exactly_ what it had meant. For quite some time before that night, he'd been struggling with himself over the feelings for Ginny that were slowly developing against his will. And when it seemed like all those memories would have to be erased, he had wanted to at least have one memory of her, even if it would only last a few minutes. He had wanted to pretend for just a little while that she was his. But revealing such information about himself would be dreadfully embarrassing, not to mention uncharacteristic.

"Well," he began slowly, with a deep breath, "I suppose it meant that I don't hate you anymore."

Ginny looked back at him blankly. "Uh," Draco continued, sensing that she wanted more from him, "I – I mean, I stopped hating you a while ago, Ginny…I think you knew that." He looked away, biting his lip. He wanted to tell Ginny how he felt about her, but he didn't quite know how he felt himself. Besides, he'd never done anything like this before. He'd never had to even pretend to be serious with a girl before. No other girl had ever wanted anything permanent from him; they had all just wanted bragging rights with their friends.

"Well, I guess it means that I like you a little," Draco said quietly, shrugging as he looked at the ground. Now it was his turn to blush. This was only time number two that that had ever happened in his life, and he still wasn't used to the uncomfortable feeling it gave him. Draco rubbed his neck, inwardly groaning at what he had just said. The words seemed so foreign coming from his mouth. But then he thought back to the night he had kissed Ginny. By his reasoning, he had said quite a lot more incriminating things that night, and Ginny hadn't laughed at him. That thought gave him the strength to look up and face the girl before him.

Ginny was watching him expressionlessly. She was desperately trying to hide the smile that was threatening to break free. She felt an enormous weight lift off her shoulders when Draco admitted, rather reluctantly, that he liked her. It was like a balloon was inflating inside her, making her heart overflow with so much feeling that she thought it was going to burst apart.

Before she could stop it, a huge grin appeared on her face and she started laughing. Draco scowled at her, turning away and stalking down the tunnel. Cringing as her smile disappeared, Ginny hurried after him, cursing herself for laughing. Knowing how touchy Draco was regarding feelings and revealing personal information, she figured what he had just said must've been pretty hard to admit. _He probably thinks I'm laughing at him because of what he said,_ Ginny thought, horrified.

Ginny grabbed his arm. "Draco, wait, that's not what I meant," she said, but Draco just shrugged her hand off his arm and walked even faster. A growl of frustration slipped out of her mouth and Ginny ran to stand right in front of Draco. He merely pushed her aside and kept walking.

"I said wait!" Ginny shouted, angry now.

Draco spun around to face her. "What?" he snapped furiously.

"I wasn't_ laughing_ at you," Ginny said, breathing heavily.

"Then what were you doing?" Draco asked, frowning angrily. Ginny noticed how flushed his face was and wondered for a moment if he was actually blushing. She decided it wouldn't be best to mention that right now.

"I was laughing because I was _happy,"_ she said as she looked at him breathlessly.

The two teens stared at each other for what felt like an eternity to Draco. She was laughing because she was happy? He shook his head. "Bloody hell, couldn't you have just said you were happy instead of laughing like a lunatic?"

"Sorry," she smiled. She didn't look sorry at all. Draco thought she actually looked rather proud of herself. He shook his head again, smiling to himself.

"So now what?" he asked.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know," she said. She paused before going on. "I guess I should say that I like you a little too."

"Just a little?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrow. "Because you know, Weasley, I happen to be a devilishly handsome man and no woman has ever liked me _just a little."_

He enjoyed watching the furious expression appear on her face, enjoyed knowing that he could affect her so. "I'll have you know, _Malfoy,"_ Ginny began, and though she tried to look angry, Draco could hear the humor in her voice. "I'll have you know right here and now that I have –"

Draco leaned in and kissed her before she could finish her sentence. His mouth was pressing against hers firmly, leaving no room for her to protest; at the moment though, Ginny didn't appear to have any protests on her mind. Her arms curled around Draco's neck as he pushed her against the wall of the tunnel, pressing his body against hers.

After a few more moments, he broke away and whispered against her mouth, "Have I ever told you that you talk too much?"

Ginny shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. Draco leaned down again and captured her mouth in a gentler, shorter kiss before he pulled away. Ginny swallowed and instinctively licked her lips.

"Well, I guess that's settled, then," he said, smirking at her.

"What's settled?" Ginny asked, cocking her head to the side.

"You _do_ like me more than just a little and you_ do_ find me devilishly handsome," he grinned at her very satisfactorily.

Ginny swatted his arm but smiled nonetheless. "And what brings you to that conclusion?" she asked.

"Well," Draco said, offering his arm to Ginny, who took it, "because of the way you so eagerly kissed me back." They resumed their trek back down the tunnel. "Nobody kisses like that if they only like someone just a little."

Ginny blushed at Draco's words, wondering if she had been that obvious. She really did like Draco, but the depth of how much she really did like him had hit her only tonight. When she had left the common room to meet him down here, Ginny had made up her mind to be the one to confront Draco. She had been very embarrassed by the way she had started the conversation with Draco that evening, and she had then convinced herself that Draco would think her a twit for sounding so serious, but she had stumbled her way through the awkwardness. Now she was glad that she had.

"Ginny," Draco said, breaking the silence. Ginny could tell by his voice that he was serious.

"What?" she asked, looking up at him. He didn't meet her gaze.

"Don't think that this can last all that long," he said sadly. "I don't know what I'm doing after school."

Ginny nodded silently, knowing that he was thinking of his father.

"And…" Draco continued, a bit more hesitantly, "don't think that this is love or anything. I don't even know what love is." He sighed. "I've never loved anybody before and I don't know if I can start now."

"I don't expect you to," Ginny said quietly, trying to hide her sadness. To never have loved anybody was almost unthinkable. Ginny had always known that Draco's home life wasn't that great, but she would've thought that he would've loved at least one person, an uncle or somebody. "But you have your mother and you have…me now," Ginny said, smiling at the thought. "We can help you through this."

Draco didn't say anything, but he squeezed her elbow. Ginny's heart dropped a little when she thought of Narcissa. However, she tried to push the thought of Draco's mother out of her mind for tonight.

"So what do you think is down this tunnel, really?" Ginny asked Draco. She felt him shrug.

"I don't know," he said. "That's why we're down here."

"I suppose so," Ginny agreed.

By now they had come to the part of the tunnel where Draco needed to use the stone to trigger the hidden passageway. Ginny watched and waited silently as the tunnel went through its transformation. When it was finished, she and Draco started down again.

A while later they reached the bottom of the tunnel and stood looking at the cavern that lay before them. Ginny shivered slightly, remembered what had happened the last time she had come down here. If it hadn't been for Draco, she might not have made it back out.

As if sensing what she was thinking about, Draco said, "Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to you." Ginny smiled weakly at him, wondering if that would indeed be the case.

Just as Draco was about to lead the way into the cavern, Ginny grabbed his arm and pointed to the other side. "Look," she said quietly.

When Draco finally saw what Ginny was pointing at, she heard him inhale sharply. Ginny herself was stunned. The monster that usually guarded the tunnel on the opposite side of the cavern was making his way down the cliff side, a large object thrown over its shoulder.

"What does it have?" Ginny whispered to Draco, not taking her eyes off the creature. Draco just shook his head as he watched it get closer, starting to make its way around the large lake.

"Quick," he whispered, pulling Ginny behind him. He crouched low to the ground and ran alongside the cave wall. They stopped a safe distance away from the tunnel they'd just come out of and ducked behind a couple of large boulders. Ginny tried to tell if they'd been seen or not, but she decided that they hadn't since the monster kept on as if he hadn't noticed them.

For a few minutes, both Ginny and Draco watched as it got closer and closer to the tunnel entrance. To Ginny, it looked as if whatever it was carrying was a human body. She saw a pair of legs hanging down the front of the monster; the other half of the body was thrown over its back, hidden front sight.

As the creature started into the tunnel, Draco squinted, getting a good look at what the creature was carrying. His eyes widened in shock and he half-shouted, half whispered, "Pansy?"

"Ssh," Ginny hissed, clapping her hand over Draco's mouth and pulling him closer to the ground. She had no desire to get caught again. However, she did peer around the edge of the rock to see the creature disappear into the tunnel; she saw what looked like a very unconscious, very _strange_-looking Pansy Parkinson dangling over his shoulder.

"What the…" Draco trailed off, frowning. Shrugging her shoulders, Ginny glanced at Draco, who was staring at the spot where Pansy and the creature had disappeared.

"Come on," Ginny said, starting to step out from behind the rocks. "We have to follow them."

Draco grabbed her elbow and pulled her back down to the ground. "No," he said. "I have a feeling that she's being returned just like those other boys were. She's fine."

"But we have to see where they're going," Ginny insisted.

"No," Draco repeated. "We'll wait until it comes back, and then we'll go find her."

"But what if she's hurt?" Ginny asked, not quite knowing why she was concerned over Pansy.

Draco snorted as he leaned his back against the stone wall and stretched his legs out in front of him. "The only thing that's going to be hurt is her pride, Ginny," he said, looking quite pleased. "Did you get a good look at her? She's got _elephant ears."_

Ginny's eye brows rose. "What?" she asked, blinking.

Draco grinned and said, "She had two very large, very gray, very elephant-like ears on her head instead of human ones."

Ginny's mouth was open in shock, but it quickly spread out into a smile. _Oh this I have got to see, _she thought, glancing behind Draco to the tunnel entrance even though Pansy was no longer in sight. Shaking her head, Ginny sat back against the wall next to Draco, preparing herself for a long wait.

Nearly a half hour later, Ginny was growing restless. She and Draco had both remained silent although they knew that the creature was gone; however, they didn't want to take any chances. Ginny was finding the ominous silence unnerving. So without really thinking, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Your mum hates me," she said quickly, instantly cringing when Draco's head whipped around to look at her.

"What?" he asked, frowning at the bluntness of Ginny's question. "No she doesn't."

"Yes she does," Ginny said, looking down. "I can tell by the way she looks at me."

"You went to see her?" Draco asked.

"No, not her in particular," Ginny said. "I went to see Reina this afternoon. Your mother just happened to come downstairs while I was there."

"She came out of her room?" Draco inquired, some anger showing.

"Yeah," Ginny replied, looking up. "Why, is she not supposed to?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know. I just think it'd be better if she didn't during the day. But she doesn't hate you, Ginny," he said a bit more gently, seeing the tears hovering in Ginny's eyes.

"I suppose she looks at me like I'm some annoying bug and talks to me like I'm a house elf because she loves me then," she said sarcastically. "I'm sorry, Draco," she said quietly. "I don't mean to talk about her like that, it's just…" She closed her eyes.

"Don't worry about it," Draco said. "I mean, don't worry about my mother. She'll get over it," he said harshly, looking away. Ginny glanced at him, perplexed, and saw that he had a hard look on his face, one she hadn't seen since earlier that year before they were friends. She wondered what exactly he meant by his last statement.

However, she didn't get to dwell on it too much longer for at that precise second, Ginny heard footsteps approaching. She sat up, followed by Draco, and watched carefully as the creature returned, this time without Pansy. They both crouched low behind the rocks as they watched it make its way back to the opposite side of the cavern and disappear into the other tunnel.

After they were sure that it wasn't coming back, Ginny and Draco ran from behind the rocks and back into their own tunnel that led to the school. All the way up they remained silent, both of them excited to have actually found one of the missing students. Ginny felt worried for Neville, though. Why was he still missing? Unless he was hurt or worse, he should've been returned before Pansy was. So did that mean that Neville was dead? She hoped not.

Once they were safely back inside the castle, they stood around for a few seconds.

"Where do you think it took her?" Ginny whispered. "It couldn't have gone far because it wasn't gone that long."

"I don't know," Draco mused, looking around as if he could tell which way Pansy was.

Ginny pursed her lips, thinking as well. An idea came to her, and for only a moment did she hesitate before she raised her wand.

"Accio Pansy Parkinson," she said quietly yet clearly. Draco's head whipped towards Ginny when she spoke and all she could do was grin sheepishly at his stunned look, shrugging.

Then a loud thudding noise could be heard to her left and Ginny held her breath as she watched Pansy Parkinson float through the air, occasionally banging against the walls. She came to a halt right in front of Ginny, who released the spell; she had the grace to flinch as the girl fell a few feet to the ground.

Draco was still staring at her disbelievingly. "What?" Ginny asked.

"I cannot believe that you just did that," Draco said, not taking his eyes off of Ginny. She wrinkled her face and looked down at Pansy. "I mean," Draco continued, shaking his head, "that was a very Slytherin-like thing to do. Are you sure I'm not rubbing off on you?"

"Oh believe me," Ginny said, grinning, "that's the last thing I want."

Ginny watched Draco smirk at her with a rather proud look on his face. Then they turned their attentions back to Pansy, becoming serious again.

Well, they _tried_ to be serious.

But Ginny had to bite on her lip hard to make sure that her laughter stayed inside of her mouth. The site of Pansy Parkinson with elephant ears was almost too much for her to endure. Ginny glanced at Draco and saw him wearing a soft smile as he gazed at his fellow Slytherin.

"I suppose I should take her to Dumbledore," Draco said, still looking at Pansy.

Ginny's smile faded. "And I suppose I can't come with, right?"

"Right," Draco agreed. "I'll be able to explain this off to Dumbledore, tell him something like I fell asleep in the library earlier and was on my way back when I found her. I don't know; I'll think of something."

Ginny nodded. "So I guess I should be getting back to my dorm…"

"Yeah," Draco said quietly. "But I'm sure you'll be hearing all about this," he waved his hand over Pansy, "tomorrow, along with the rest of the school."

"Well, okay then," said Ginny, starting to back away yet not taking her eyes off Draco yet. She wasn't sure what exactly to do. For once, though, she didn't have to think about it much because Draco then stepped around Pansy and towards Ginny. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her in for a searing kiss that left Ginny tingling all the way down to her toes.

"Goodnight, Ginny," Draco murmured against her lips before he stepped away from her.

"Goodnight," replied Ginny breathlessly. She sent Draco a dazzling smile before she turned around.

She had to restrain the sudden urge to skip back to her room.

* * *

Draco watched Ginny walk away with his head spinning. Tonight had certainly been a strange one, but Draco wouldn't have changed a thing. For one, he had gotten to kiss Ginny Weasley twice in one night. Draco didn't know what it was, but just a simple touch from her, just her skin against his, was enough to make his mind fog over. There was something about that girl, something Draco had never found in anyone else. He didn't know what it was, but for the life of him he was glad he had it.

Also, the night had been an interesting one because he had just found Pansy Parkinson with elephant ears. Draco looked down at the girl and shook his head, smirking at her. She'd probably die of humiliation when she woke up. However, Draco didn't release her from the stunning spell he was sure she was under. He had no wish to deal with her hysterics right now.

So instead, he levitated her behind himself and started walking towards the headmaster's office. He already knew the password because he'd been called up to Dumbledore's office a week ago. The only fear Draco had was that Dumbledore might be asleep; after all, it was nearly one o' clock in the morning.

When Draco reached the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office, he set Pansy on the ground, taking the levitation spell off of her. Grimacing at the thought of contact with Pansy, he nevertheless picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder in the same position that the monster under the school had carried her in. Then he turned to the gargoyle and said, "Ice Mice."

The gargoyle moved aside and Draco stepped onto the stone stairs which slowly started spiraling upwards. Draco waited as patiently as he could as Pansy's dead weight over his shoulder started to bother him. Finally, though, the stairs stopped and Draco reached out with his free hand and knocked on the door, hoping with all his might that Dumbledore was awake.

To his immense relief, the door opened a few seconds later to reveal a tired yet very-much awake Professor Dumbledore. His eyes widened when he saw Draco carrying a person, and he stepped aside, saying, "Do come in." Draco entered the headmaster's office and set Pansy on the floor, glad to be rid of her.

"I found her near the Prefect's Bathroom on my way back from the library," Draco explained, looking down at Pansy. "I accidentally fell asleep in there and just woke up a while ago."

"I see," Dumbledore said. Draco glanced up to find him looking at Pansy.

"I think she's just unconscious. Stunned or something, most likely," Draco said, hoping that Dumbledore didn't see through his lies. "I didn't know what to do so I brought her to you."

Dumbledore, other than looking tired, appeared to have not yet gone to bed. Draco noticed several books, ink bottles, parchment, and quills scattered across his desk. Fawkes the phoenix was eyeing him sleepily. Dumbledore walked over to one of the portraits.

"Angela, do be a dear and go fetch Professor Snape, will you? Tell him to hurry," he instructed an old yet very alert-looking woman in a portrait.

"Right away, Headmaster Dumbledore," the woman nodded, scampering out of sight. Draco watched her go and then turned back to Dumbledore, who was now bending over Pansy. He picked up one of the elephant ears in his hand and looked at it, perplexed.

After a few minutes, Dumbledore stood and turned to Draco, who saw his mouth twitch. "Elephant ears," he mused. "Quite…strange."

Even if Draco had wanted to discuss the abnormality of the situation, he didn't have time to because there was suddenly a knock on the door. "Come in, Severus," Dumbledore called. Draco thought he sounded just a bit more cheerful than the situation called for, but he himself was amused.

The door opened to reveal Draco's Potions teacher wearing his usual black robes. The weary look in his eyes and the slightly tousled hair were the only evidence that he had been sleeping earlier. Snape's eyes immediately narrowed in confusion upon spotting Draco, and then they finally landed on Pansy lying on the ground, causing his eyes to widen again in astonishment.

"What is that?" he asked.

"That, Severus," replied Dumbledore, "would be Pansy Parkinson."

Snape stared at the girl, his mouth wrinkling in disgust. "Where was she?"

"Draco found her near the Prefect's Bathroom," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling at Draco. Severus's eyes then snapped towards the boy.

"I was asleep in the library and I only just woke up," Draco said uncomfortably. He forced himself to stare his teacher in the eye, willing himself to act nonchalant. To make the façade more convincible, he boldly picked up one of the trinkets on Dumbledore's desk and inspected it with an air of boredom.

Snape snorted softly and looked back at Dumbledore and said more politely, "What do want me to do?"

"Take her to Madame Pomfrey," Dumbledore replied as he eyed Draco in amusement before turning his attention to Snape. "Make sure that Poppy understands that nobody other than teachers or injured students are to be allowed into the infirmary, to spare Miss Parkinson as much humiliation as possible."

"Yes, Sir," Snape replied. He shot another criticizing glance at Draco before he bent over and picked Pansy up before he swept out of the room.

Draco put the trinket back on Dumbledore's desk. "I should be leaving too," Draco announced. "I'm dreadfully tired and there's a lot to do tomorrow."

"Hold on, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said. Draco froze, his hand on the door. He slowly turned around, cursing his bad luck.

"Yes?" he asked tersely.

"Where did you _really_ find Miss Parkinson?"

"Near the Prefect's Bathroom," Draco insisted calmly.

"Are you sure about that?" Dumbledore asked, one of his eyebrows raised.

"Yes," Draco said, narrowing his eyes. "You don't believe me?"

"Well," Dumbledore continued, his eyes twinkling at Draco, "since the library is on the fourth floor, the Prefect's Bathroom is on the fifth floor, and your dormitories are in the dungeons, I find it difficult to believe that you found her on your way back to bed."

Draco cursed under his breath. He had had plenty of time coming to Dumbledore's office to think up a plausible excuse for finding Pansy, and he had ended up getting caught on a technicality. _Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ he berated himself.

"Well, Sir," Draco said, putting on a remorse face. "I suppose I lied. I_ did_ fall asleep in the library like I said, but I was feeling too restless to go back to my dorm right away. So I walked a little; you know, to take my mind off things." Draco looked away shamefacedly, hoping Dumbledore was buying his story. "So," he continued, shrugging, "I was walking up on the fifth floor when I found Pansy. I lied about where I found her because I didn't want to get into trouble."

Dumbledore nodded. "Well, Draco, I have no choice but to take twenty points away from Slytherin. But since you did find Miss Parkinson and turn her in, I will not give you a detention for lying as you deserve."

"Thank you, Sir," Draco said, smirking on the inside, though outwardly, he merely looked grateful. "If that is all, I think I'll just be –"

"Not quite yet, Draco," Dumbledore smiled. "What is your greatest fear?"

Draco stared at his headmaster, shaking his head in disbelief. Couldn't the man just let it go?

"I don't fear anything."

Dumbledore sighed. "Very well then…you may go."

Draco wasted no time in exiting the room, glancing over his shoulder once to see Dumbledore shaking his head sadly.

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**A/N:** I apologize for any typos that are in this chapter. I spent all of yesterday and today writing it, and quite frankly, my brain feels very fuzzy so I didn't do very well proof-reading this. Thank you to **Sendarian Poltergeist** for pointing out one typo I made. No worries, I've fixed it. But still, it's rather embarrassing when I make a mistake like that. And just to let you know, there are exactly 4 chapters left of the story.

Does anybody watch America's Got Talent? Just curious.

Review!

Lauren


	37. The Truth Shall Set You Free

A little bit of Draco and Ginny, but this one's mostly just Draco. And it really gets the climatic (so I like to think) ending started. Ya'll enjoy now, you hear?

Disclaimer: Rettop yrraH nwo ton od I.

**Chapter 37: The Truth Shall Set You Free**

For Draco, the following weeks were a blur. The morning after his and Ginny's excursion in the tunnel, Pansy had been welcomed back to the school. Dumbledore even announced her presence at breakfast. However, Madame Pomfrey had been unable to remove the ears. Even with the help of many of the teachers and Albus Dumbledore himself, the ears simply would not disappear. They had had a terrible time of trying to calm Pansy down once she had woken up, so Draco had heard. In the end, before she had been released from the Hospital Wing, they put a concealment charm on her ears so that it appeared as if Pansy still had human ears. Draco was the only person other than the teachers and Pansy herself that knew about this; Dumbledore had decided to clue him in on the details since he had been the one to rescue her.

The only problem with this was that Pansy also knew that Draco had been the one to find her and turn her in. She was constantly clinging to his side, thanking him, saying that she knew Draco would always protect her. Though Pansy had absolutely no idea of what had gone on during her absence from the school nor who had taken her, she was still proclaiming that at any moment she could be kidnapped again and that that was the reason that she needed Draco to always be by her, to "save" her again, as she put it.

Every time Draco would enter the common room, Pansy would look up from her group of giggling girls, smile at him lovingly, and then saunter over to him. No matter how many times Draco would tell her to shove off, she kept coming back. The only pleasure Draco got out of her situation was when he'd pass her in the crowded hallways in between classes. Her new ears were concealed, but they were still there. If she walked too close to another student, the ears would knock into said student, causing quite a commotion. Pansy usually played the situation off by either yelling at the student or threatening to curse them. Draco eventually suspected that Pansy had decided to tie the ears back because from then on, she was able to move about without the ears getting in her way anymore.

About a week after Pansy was returned, Neville Longbottom was discovered in the dungeons, completely unconscious. Neville's return, more than any other student's, caused quite the uproar. When Neville had finally woken up in the Hospital Wing with absolutely no knowledge of how he had disappeared, who had taken him, or what had happened to him, he had found a mountain of get well cards and candies from every house except Slytherin sitting on the bed next to his. This more than anything astonished him. It seemed that since he had been gone nearly two full months, students assumed that he had been in the most danger. This suddenly made Neville almost as popular as Harry Potter.

The only thing different about Neville now that he had been returned was that he was no longer intimidated by Pansy Parkinson. Draco could only imagine what those two had been through together, but when Pansy would snap at him in the halls or in class, Neville just looked at her with a curious expression and walked away. Pansy seemed to ignore the fact that both she and Neville had been kidnapped at the same time. She did, however, treat Neville even worse than before. And when Neville would shrug indifferently at her insults, she would get even angrier and turn to Draco for his support, which Draco never gave.

The other thing that helped the weeks and months fly by for Draco was Ginny. Every time Draco thought of her, he was sure his heart beat just a little faster. In the hallways in between classes, they hardly even made eye contact with one another. Once in a while Draco would throw an insult at her just to make sure nobody suspected anything, and she would shoot one right back at him, all the while her eyes sparkling mischievously.

It was hard for them to find time for one another since they couldn't see each other in front of others. They had taken to secretly sending each other notes and meeting in the Astronomy Tower almost every night. There they were able to talk with each other without the fear of being seen. Draco and Ginny would spend hours together at night. However, when Draco noticed Ginny fall asleep one morning in the Great Hall and spill pumpkin juice all over the place, he insisted that they cut down on their late-night trysts. Ginny had protested with him, but in the end, she had given in to Draco.

And with final exams coming ever closer, what little meetings they did have ended altogether. With his N.E.W.T.S. approaching, Draco barely had time to finish all of his homework let alone see Ginny. He suspected that she was having a hard time too, though not as hard as he was.

In addition to his tests, Draco also had to put up with the letters he was receiving almost daily from his father. Lucius was constantly reminding Draco of the training he would be receiving upon the end of school, trying to prepare him for what was to come. Mostly he was just threatening Draco.

Every night when Draco went to bed, his conscious would bother him, telling him that he was only endangering Ginny's life by having a relationship with her. Though the thought of what Lucius would do to Ginny if they were caught made Draco's breath catch in his throat, he simply could not ignore how happy he felt when he was kissing her, holding her. It just felt so right. And when Ginny ever sensed what he was thinking, she would furiously ignore all reasons he gave why they shouldn't be together.

Another thing Draco was learning was that Ginny Weasley had a terrible temper. Of course, he already knew this, but it seemed she was twice as easy to anger when they were dating. When Draco had learned how much fun it was to kiss away her anger, he had taken to upsetting her on purpose every once in a while. He loved the way her eyes flashed when she was dangerously close to hexing him. But whenever it almost got out of control, Draco would pull her into his arms and kiss Ginny with a fiery passion until he was sure that all of her hateful thoughts regarding him were long gone.

One place where they were both free to playfully hate each other though was on the Quidditch pitch. As Draco had predicted months ago, Slytherin did not win the cup. Slytherin didn't even come in second place. Through very fierce practices and even fiercer games, Slytherin did, however, manage to secure third place, with Ravenclaw coming in last. No matter how much he hated Harry Potter and wanted to see him lose, Draco couldn't help but be happy for Ginny when Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup. On the pitch during the showdown between the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor teams, he had booed Gryffindor along with the rest of his housemates. Afterwards, though, he had congratulated Ginny in private and was rewarded with such a breathtaking smile that he himself couldn't help but smile in return.

Draco had wanted to go back down in the tunnel and discover what was up with the monster, but he hadn't had time to. With the end of the year exams coming ever closer, it was all Draco could do to complete his homework each week. In addition, the teachers, especially Professor McGonagall, had taken to having pop quizzes in the middle of class; Draco was now forced to study after classes as well as do his homework. Just last week he had been unable to answer most of McGonagall's questions, and he vowed that he would not let Harry Potter or Ron Weasley beat him on the N.E.W.T. He had long ago given up on ever topping Hermione Granger, but he would not lose to her friends.

Even though curiosity was eating at Draco, he hadn't gone back down since the night they had found Pansy. Ginny had asked a few times when they were going to explore again, but Draco had told her that they weren't going to. The first time he said that Ginny had gotten upset with him, but after that, the stress of final exams seemed to outweigh whatever curiosity Ginny had. Draco just figured that whoever had been taking the students had finally called it quits.

So on the final day of exams, Draco found himself sitting in Defense Against the Dark Arts wishing he could be out on the Quidditch pitch, with Ginny, with his mother, anywhere but in the stuffy classroom trying to remember what the pros and cons of an energy-abolishing curse were. Professor Juriac was reclining in his seat, his feet resting on the desk. Eyes closed and arms folded behind his head, the teacher looked like he was sleeping though Draco had a feeling that he was quite alert to what was going on in the classroom.

Turning back to his paper with an irritated sigh, Draco tried to concentrate. However, Draco couldn't help but think about what was to come long after his tests were finished. After this last test, Draco was officially finished with school; he'd be leaving Hogwarts for the last time. His stomach rolled every time he thought of returning home. His father would be anxious to start Draco's training and get him marked by Voldemort. Draco was surprised that Lucius had not come back to torture Draco for information on Narcissa's whereabouts, and though Draco wasn't complaining, he did wonder why Lucius had changed his mind after he had threatened his son earlier that year.

Draco sighed again, staring at the same spot on his test. Another thing bothering him was Ginny. He did not want to be separated from her, but he knew that when the trains took students home in two days, his and Ginny's relationship would be put to the test. The intensity with which Draco cared for Ginny surprised him; every time a guy even looked at Ginny with more than friendship in his eyes, a storm seemed to brew inside of Draco and it was all he could do to stop himself from punching the unlucky bloke.

There was only one thing that Draco knew his feelings for Ginny meant: trouble. He was mad at himself that he had become so reliant on anybody. He had always prevented himself from becoming real friends with anybody because he had known what his future would be; he would become a Death Eater after Hogwarts. Draco knew that if he was good friends with anybody, let alone had feelings for a girl, then becoming a Death Eater and possibly betraying them would be ten times harder to do than if he was alone.

The only thing comforting Draco was his firm resolve that he would not become a Death Eater. Crazy and rational ideas alike of what he'd do after Hogwarts came to mind during his final weeks at school. Some of the crazy ideas included himself and his mother running away to another country and trying to start a new life as a muggle. Some of the more rational ideas consisted of turning to Dumbledore for help, maybe even joining the Order. Though Draco was loath to consider help from Dumbledore, whom he had been taught to hate, he could see no other way. If Draco was able to convince the man that he was trustworthy, maybe Dumbledore could hide Draco and his mother. It was a long shot, but Draco did not really want to live as a Muggle. Though that option was probably safer, if Draco joined the Order, there was a chance that he might be able stay with Ginny. Even if it was secret, Draco would be with her. And other than his mother and his freedom, that was all that mattered to him.

* * *

Nearly an hour later, Draco had finally completed his test and was walking surreally through the hallway.

He was done.

With all of his last classes.

For good.

Draco shook his head. It all seemed like a dream. He thought back to his beginning at Hogwarts, to when he had first started hating Harry Potter when his friendship had been rejected in Madame Malkins robe shop in Diagon Alley. He remembered how angry he had been when Potter had gotten on the Quidditch team a year earlier than he was supposed to. He remembered when he had first seen Ginny the summer before his second year, how he had called her Harry's girlfriend.

_Now she's _my_ girlfriend,_ he thought with a wry grin. Oh what he would give to see Weasley and Potter's reactions to that news. Things had certainly turned out differently than he had thought they would. Draco had thought, long before he even went to Hogwarts, that upon his graduation, he would be looking forward to his life as a Death Eater, be proud to kneel before Voldemort and make the life commitment, torture innocent people, enjoy it.

It was the complete opposite though. Draco himself was different than when he had started his seventh year. He still loved to hate Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and lots of other people, but he no longer sought the approval or love of his father, no longer cared for Voldemort's ways.

Draco sighed. This was the beginning of a new life for him. In two more days, Draco would either be going home or running away. If Draco simply did not get on the Hogwarts Express and didn't go home, his father would realize Draco's betrayal sooner than was needed.

But if Draco did go home to his father and pretend for a while longer that he would become a Death Eater, Draco would be able to buy some time to think things through more carefully. It would give him some time to find a place for his mother.

That's what Draco needed…time. And time was the one thing he could not control.

Draco grumbled under his breath as he made his way to the Great Hall for lunch. He felt the need to see Ginny again, to see her smile. Her smile seemed to take away all of Draco's troubles. At least, he seemed to forget about them while he was with her. He supposed that was one reason why he liked being with her so much. She was able to make his life seem normal, easy.

When Draco sat down at the Slytherin table, he grabbed a plate and put some food on it, trying to get a look at the Gryffindor table without anybody noticing. That had been something hard for both him and Ginny to do; while at meals, they were always tempted to look at each other, but because of the circumstances, they had rarely been able to do so. However, Draco did see Ginny sitting next to that twerp, Colin Creevey, obviously laughing at something he'd just said. A stone of jealousy rooted itself in Draco's stomach, but when Ginny turned her head, still smiling, and looked straight at Draco, he felt his jaw unclench. Noticing that Crabbe was watching him, Draco sent a quite convincing sneer towards Ginny, who good-naturedly stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to Creevey. It was all Draco could do to keep his smirk from showing.

"Bloody Gryffs," he muttered, turning to Crabbe.

"Yeah," Crabbe shook his head sadly. "Look at them, all smiles and junk." Draco looked curiously at his companion of seven years. "Don't see why they're so bloody happy about graduating," Crabbe snorted. "S'not like they got anything to look forward to like we do."

Draco looked away, knowing exactly what Crabbe was thinking about. He and Goyle both were facing the challenge of becoming a Death Eater; both of their fathers were Death Eaters as well. However, Draco didn't know why the lump of a boy was actually looking forward to it. Maybe it was the idea of feeling worthy for once, or maybe it was the prospect of gaining power that appealed to them. Draco shook his head to himself, knowing that it would be nothing like how his friends were imagining it. If they thought they'd be gaining power, then they were fools. They'd be giving up everything, and Draco actually felt sorry for them. They had always been too stupid to know what was good for them.

After Draco was finished eating, he got up and walked out of the Great Hall, passing the Gryffindor table as he went. Resisting the urge to look at Ginny, he sent a sneer towards Potter, Weasley, and Granger.

When he got out of the Great Hall, he stood around for a few minutes, knowing that soon Ginny would come out as well. Sometimes if Ginny was able to get away without anybody being suspicious, she would come out when she saw Draco leave and they'd go off down the halls where they could talk in privacy while everybody else was eating.

Today was no different, for when Draco, standing by the stairs, saw Ginny walk out of the Great Hall and glance at him, he immediately turned around and started down the hallway that led to the dungeons. He knew Ginny was following him at a respective distance so that if anybody happened to see them, they wouldn't think that she was actually following him.

Draco turned a corner, now completely out of sight from the Great Hall, and waited less than impatiently. As soon as Ginny rounded the corner, before she had even had time to properly smile at Draco, he pulled her body flush against his and proceeded to kiss her quite heatedly. Even though it had only been two days since he'd last been with her like this, it felt like an eternity to Draco.

He sighed contentedly against her lips and felt Ginny grin. "Miss me?" she asked, looking up at him. Draco leaned in to kiss her again, wrapping his strong arms around Ginny's waste. Ginny seemed to accept his answer for she snaked her arms around Draco's neck and puller him closer to her.

"So," Ginny said after a while, "you're done, aren't you? With classes, I mean."

"Yeah," Draco said. They started walking down the hallway hand in hand. "It doesn't seem real."

"I know," Ginny said quietly. "I still have a year left, but still…I always feel like this at the end of the year." Draco glanced down at her, but he said nothing. "I mean," Ginny continued, "when I first get here every year, it seems like summer is so far away but then when that time finally comes, it seems as if I just got here yesterday. Does that make any sense?" Ginny asked, looking up.

"It does," Draco agreed. It certainly did. It felt strange to know that in a few days, he'd say goodbye to this school forever. He'd never been too emotionally attached to the school, but it had provided a refuge from his father over the years, and Draco felt he was going to sorely miss it. "What classes do you have left?"

Ginny sighed. "I've just got my Potions final in a few minutes and then that's it." She looked a bit ruefully at Draco. "I wish I was done like you."

"You'll do fine," Draco grinned.

Ginny looked as if she didn't believe Draco, but she shrugged anyway. "I'll see you later, yeah? I'd better go. If I'm late, Snape will eat me or something…maybe just take away more house points." She snorted. "He's been doing that a lot lately. Especially with Ron and Harry, so they say. I figure Snape thinks this is his last chance for him to pick at their pride and he's taking full advantage of it."

Draco grinned again. That simple action, which once used to come so hard to him, seemed so easy around Ginny. "I'll see you later tonight," Draco said, letting go of her hand so she could leave.

"Okay," Ginny replied, starting to walk away.

"And Ginny?" Draco called after her.

She stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"

"Good luck," he said. He winked at her. The smile dropped off his face as soon as he turned around, though, his heart too heavy to hold it up any longer. Draco knew that Ginny was feeling the oppression as well. Though she was trying to hide it, Draco knew she was afraid of what was going to happen to them once Draco left Hogwarts.

_And she should be,_ Draco thought as he entered the Slytherin dormitory and headed towards his room. His future was so uncertain. And Ginny knew it.

Shaking his head, Draco walked inside only to stop in the doorway. Blaise was sitting on his bed with a piece of parchment clutched in his hands. Blaise's pale face jerked towards Draco, and then he hastily stood and shoved the parchment into his bag. Draco's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything. Instead, he walked to his own bed and reached for his trunk. Blaise hurried out of the room, his bag slung over his shoulders, without a word.

Opening his trunk, Draco dug around until he found what he was looking for. It was the small glass ball that his mother had given him. Once Draco had found out what it really was, he had hidden it. Even though it looked like an ordinary ball of glass, he didn't want anybody finding out what it really was; the thought that anybody figuring it out was ridiculous since it had taken Draco four years to find out himself.

He was planning on visiting his mother that afternoon and he wanted to show it to her. He still had some questions about it, such as who she had gotten it from. Draco knew from the letter that had been encased in the ball that it had been an heirloom from the Black side of the family, but he wanted to know more about it. And since Draco had to go and see her anyway, to talk to her about what he'd be doing after school, Draco thought it'd be the perfect opportunity.

So, leaving his Slytherin robe behind since it was now too hot to wear it outside, Draco grabbed the glass and left the Slytherin dormitories. On his way out, he uneasily noticed that Blaise Zabini was nowhere in sight.

* * *

"Hello," Narcissa Malfoy greeted Draco as he walked into her room. Over the past months, Draco had grown used to the way his mother hugged him every time he came to see her; he supposed she thought she had to make up for lost time. Normally Draco was put off by such show of emotion, but he had grown used to it. So when Narcissa proceeded to hug Draco affectionally, he had no problem in returning it.

"So, you've graduated then, haven't you?" she asked, beaming with pride.

"Yes," Draco said. "I just finished my last test before lunch. There's a celebration feast for us tomorrow night, and then Professor Dumbledore will add up all the house points to see who's won."

"That's nice, dear," Narcissa said. "I'm sure that Slytherin has won."

Draco just smiled at his mother. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he already knew who won, and it certainly wasn't Slytherin. He had seen that the Gryffindor hourglass in the entrance hall had many more points than any other house. Slytherin did have second place though. Draco still got angry every time he remembered that he had come second-best to Potter again.

"We'll see," Draco replied, sitting down on the bed. He unclenched his hand and held the glass ball out to his mother. When she saw it, she sucked in her breath.

"May I?" she asked, reaching tentatively for the glass. When her son nodded, Narcissa gingerly picked it up and looked at it. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Draco Malfoy."

Draco moved to stand behind Narcissa and saw an image of himself standing behind his mother, looking down into the glass. He smiled, and Narcissa looked up at him. Draco saw the Narcissa in the glass do the same.

"It's amazing," Draco said softly, sitting in a spare chair that had been brought up weeks ago.

"It is," exclaimed Narcissa, sitting on her bed.

"Where did you get it?" Draco asked. "I read in your letter that it was in your side of the family for generations, but who gave it to you?"

"My mother," Narcissa sighed. Draco couldn't tell if it was a happy or sad sigh, though.

"Grandmother Druella?" Draco asked with a frown. He had met the woman a few times before her death. She was never pleasant to talk to. However, she _had _given him the chain necklace that the ring Ginny had given him now hung on. It was still around his neck.

"Yes," replied Narcissa. "She said that on her side of the family, it had been passed down from mother to daughter for years. Her own mother, my grandmother, had given it to her, and she decided to give it to me."

"But why you?" Draco asked curiously. "You have two other sisters. Why not one of them?"

"Well," Narcissa started, "after Andromeda ran off with that horrid muggle, she was disowned and rarely spoken of again, so she was out of the question. And then Bellatrix married Rodolphus and they joined up with the Dark Lord." Narcissa frowned. "I think Mother would've given it to my other sister, but Bella and Rodolphus both were sent to Azkaban so I was the only one left."

"So," began Draco, "it's been in the Rosier family, then?"

"Mm-hmm," acknowledged Narcissa. "I'm glad that you still know our family history. Yes, Mother was a Rosier."

"But how does it work?" Draco asked, still frustrated that he didn't know where the magic came from.

"I don't know," Narcissa said, shrugging her shoulders. "I never got a chance to ask Mother. She died very early. All I know is that if you say the name of whoever you want to see and retain contact with the glass, then you will see them."

Draco looked back at the glass in his mother's hand. "Can it show you anybody you want? Can it show you places?"

"That I do know," Narcissa nodded, "and no, it can't. I tried myself and it will only show you someone you've seen before. And it will only show human beings. Though, I suppose if you knew where someone was and wanted to see the place that they were at, then all you had to do was say their name."

Draco stood and walked to his mother. He took the glass ball and looked more intently at it, thinking of somebody he had never met before. "Andromeda Black," he said. The glass ball did not change; it remained completely blank. Draco frowned. "Andromeda Tonks," he said, wincing at the sound of the muggle name. Again, the glass did not change.

"You never met my sister," Narcissa said thoughtfully, quietly. "She ran off right before you were born. But it doesn't matter," she shook her head, her voice hardening. "My sister was a fool for betraying the noble house of Black that way. We were once considered a legendary line of purebloods. My cousin, Sirius Black, was the last of them. But I hear that he died…killed by Bella, in fact." Narcissa sighed, looking down at the ground. "Sirius and Bellatrix never did get along."

Draco looked away. His mother still had not changed in her beliefs any; she still thought that being a pureblood was a title worth bearing. Draco knew her pride was nothing like Lucius's and would never cause her to be any real harm, but it was still slightly disconcerting. What was even stranger was that Draco had once been even more prideful than his mother. While Draco still was proud to be a pureblood and have such a background, he did not look upon half-bloods or even muggle-borns with as much scorn as he used to. Muggles, however, were still incredibly feebleminded in his eyes as ever.

With a determined sigh, Draco looked back at the glass. "Alphard Black," he said clearly; Narcissa's head snapped towards him upon the mention of her uncle's name. Though Draco had never met the man, he had heard of him. To his disappointment, the glass remained blank.

"Why would you speak his name?" Narcissa asked in shock, and Draco noted a bit of disgust in her voice. "He is just as bad as my sister, gave money to Sirius Black. He too was disowned."

"I was just wondering," Draco said with a shrug. He thought again, this time of someone he had met before.

"Cygnus Black," he said, stating the name of his maternal grandfather. He had met him along with his grandmother. This time, the blank glass changed to show a picture of a graveyard, centering on one grave in particular. Upon closer inspection, Draco could clearly read the epitaph engraved on the top of the stone: _Cygnus Black, husband to one, father to three, loyal to Him._

"I guess it shows you dead people," Draco said quietly, looking up at his mother.

"My…father?" she asked hesitatingly. When Draco nodded, she stood up and looked over Draco's shoulder at the image of her father's grave. Draco looked uncertainly at his mother, wondering what her reaction would be. Instead of the tears Draco expected, he only saw a stoniness that eerily reminded him of himself.

"I hated that man," she hissed. "Always talking about the Dark Lord as if he were some god, treating my mother, my sisters, and myself with contempt. But Bellatrix loved him all the same," she said, sitting back on the bed. "That's where she got her love of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Draco was silent. He set the ball on the nightstand and watched as the image faded. Then he spoke, "After graduation, I'll be going home for a bit."

As Draco had expected, Narcissa looked at him fearfully and started to shake her head. "No, Draco, you can't –"

"Don't worry about it," Draco said a bit more roughly than he had intended. "I'm not going to do anything stupid. I just need some time to sort things out. I'm not going to become a Death Eater," he said pointedly. "I won't be Lucius."

Narcissa looked back at Draco with a mixture of both relief and pride on her face. Draco, however, ignored it and continued on. "If I refuse to go home, he'll suspect something. I already think he does, so…I've just got to pretend that I'm going to be a Death Eater. That'll give me enough time to figure out what to do with us."

Narcissa nodded slowly. "I suppose…" She sounded reluctant, but Draco knew she'd learn to accept his decision over time. At least he hoped she would.

"I should be going though," he said, grabbing the glass ball. "I'm meeting up with some friends later on." By friends, he meant Ginny, but he tried to avoid talking about anything to do with the Weasley family in front of his mother. Likewise, Narcissa refused to acknowledge Ginny's part in her rescue.

"Okay," said Narcissa, smiling at her son. "Have fun."

"I will," he said. "And…" he paused, not sure how to word what he was thinking. "If I don't see you before the train leaves in two days, don't worry. I'll come back for you." He went over and hugged his mother. "I'll always come back for you," he whispered in her ear. Then he smiled at her and turned around, walking out of the room.

When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he saw Reina sitting at her desk. She, it appeared, saw him too.

"Well hello, young Draco," she said cheerfully. Draco cringed and bit back a scowl. Reina had recently taken to calling him "young Draco" every time she saw him, and it bothered Draco to no end; he always felt five years old when she said this.

So instead of the many retorts that Draco was thinking of, he simply said, "Hello." After all, he still felt in debt to Reina ever since she had opened her doors to Narcissa.

"Why don't you stay and I'll make you a cup of tea? Good." She said, not giving Draco any room to turn her down. She stood from her desk and pushed Draco towards the kitchen, where she promptly sat him in a chair and turned to the stove, heating the water.

"And how is Narcissa today?" she asked, sitting down with Draco.

"She's good," Draco replied truthfully. "I just wanted to come see her once before I went home in two days."

"Ah," Reina said, nodding. "Home." A strange look came over her face, as if she were remembering something. "I remember waiting for my brother to come home from Hogwarts every summer. I was always so excited to see him."

"You have a brother?" Draco asked, leaning back comfortably in his chair.

"I did," Reina said with a sigh. When she saw Draco's eyebrow raised in question, she said, "He died twenty-eight years ago."

"Oh," Draco replied uncomfortably. He shifted in his seat. "Erm…sorry," he said, not used to condolence. "How did he die?"

"Death Eaters," Reina replied, her voice filled with hate. "Death Eaters killed him." Draco's face hardened at the mention of the vile creatures and he was reminded of just why he was resisting his father. Too many people had died when they should have lived. "He wasn't supposed to die," Reina continued, looking down at her lap. "If he hadn't been so headstrong, he wouldn't have. I always was the more rational twin," she said, a sad smile coming to her face before it slipped away.

"You were twins?" Draco asked. Reina nodded slowly, still not looking at him. "What was his name?"

"Oleaney," replied Reina quietly.

His eyes widening, Draco sat up in his seat. His heart started to pound quickly in his chest. Had he heard correctly? He knew that name. Hesitatingly, almost afraid to get an answer yet feeling an unquenchable desire to know, he asked slowly, "What's your last name?"

"Juriac," Reina said after a moment's silence. Raising her head to look Draco straight in the eye, she said, "My name is Reina Juriac."

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**A/N:** So how's that for a teaser, eh? I bet the wheels in your head are starting to turn now. This chapter was hard to write. The Black family history is a bugger to research. Took me forever to figure out how their family tree worked, because parts of it were missing. But once I got into it, it was pretty fun and I got sidetracked and spent about an hour just reading about them all instead of continuing to write this, which is what I was doing. But here it is. Oh, and just so you know…you pronounce "Juriac" like (jury-ack) with the accent on (jury).

Review and I shall love you forever.

Lauren


	38. Epiphany

I'm so sorry for the long wait. Now, I don't believe in superstition, luck, or jinxes, but I think I really messed myself up when I told a few of you (some of you who reviewed one or two days after I posted the last chapter) that this chapter would be up in a few days. Right after that, I lost all motivation and steam I had going on this chapter, and even though I tried to write, it all turned out horribly. So, I just decided to take a vacation from the story and clear my head. I didn't want to write when my heart wasn't in it, because you guys deserve much better. But this morning I woke up and I really wanted to write again, so I finished the chapter today. Oh, and ignore the 8's as a page breaker. The normal line in the document edit section wasn't working so I just went with this. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and co.

**Chapter 38: Epiphany**

Draco sat in numbed silence, trying to piece together this new information. Reina's last name was Juriac! And she said her brother Oleaney had died. _But that's not possible,_ Draco thought furiously. _Oleaney Juriac is our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. _

Noticing Reina watching him, Draco sat back in his seat and tried to appear as if the news didn't startle him. To his relief, the tea kettle started to whistle and Reina stood and walked to the stove. Draco bit his lip, wondering why Reina Juriac thought her brother was dead. Something must have happened to them in their past to make her think so, but Draco knew for a fact that Oleaney Juriac was very much alive.

"So," Draco began quietly, "Oleaney Juriac is your brother?"

"Was," Reina corrected Draco. After a few minutes, she returned to the table with two cups of tea. Draco drank his even though he wasn't thirsty. Well, he wasn't thirsty for drink. He was, however, thirsty for knowledge. Something in the back of his mind was whispering that he was on to something, that this was something more than just a misunderstanding. And if it was the last thing Draco ever did, he was going to find it out.

Before he could ask anymore questions, though, Reina gave a short, dry laugh. Draco looked at her cautiously; he had never seen Reina in any other mood than happy, but now she seemed a completely different person. She seemed lost inside, dead.

"It wasn't supposed to happen," she said sadly, shaking her head slowly. "Oleaney should never have died. If he hadn't given me his ring, he wouldn't have. I suppose it's my fault he's gone."

"His ring?" Draco asked, rubbing the top of his chest where his own ring was hidden under his shirt. "What ring?"

Reina looked at Draco, tears shining in her eyes. "His wedding ring," she said. One of the tears escaped but she brushed it aside. After she blinked a few times, the tears were gone. "Felicity charmed it right before they got married. As long as Oleaney was wearing it, he couldn't die; he never knew the magic his ring held though."

Draco watched quietly as Reina's lip trembled, betraying just how much reliving this story was hurting her. He felt only a moment's guilt at having gotten her into it. But then any guilt he felt was driven away by the powerful curiosity he was experiencing.

"When Felicity was on her death bed, mere…_minutes_ before she died, she told him about it. Then a few weeks after her funeral, Oleaney came here to me." Reina paused and sipped her tea. "He told me he was going after our parents, that he thought they could be saved."

Reina's face darkened and she clutched her tea cup fiercely. Her mouth was twisting in frustration and she snorted softly through her nose, shaking her head. "I told him that they were too far gone, but he wouldn't listen. No matter how hard I tried to talk him out of it, he left anyway. But before he did," Reina continued, "he explained the ring to me, told me everything Felicity had told him. He said that he wanted me to have it. The last thing he ever said to me was 'I want to be sure that you're safe.' And then he left…and I never saw him again."

Draco wondered briefly why Reina was telling him all of this. They had only talked a few times before, and it usually had been about Narcissa. Now all of a sudden Draco was hearing a very emotional story in her life, something he doubted Ginny knew even though the two females were close friends. But no matter how odd it seemed, a rich, pureblood Malfoy having a heart-to-heart with a squib, Draco didn't want the conversation to end. He was just about to say something, some sort of sympathy, when Reina continued and he shut his mouth excitedly.

"Months passed and my hope died. I knew he was dead," Reina said dully. "And then I learned that my parents had been killed. After that I tried to move on. It took me a while, but I did it. I never wore the ring, not once." Reina shook her head, staring at the middle of the table. Draco wondered if she even remembered that he was there because she seemed to be deep in thought.

_Well, obviously Oleaney never died like she thinks he did,_ Draco thought. He wasn't sure what his D.A.D.A. teacher had been doing with the Juriac parents. Reina had made it sound like he had been trying to rescue them. But rescue them from what? He must not have succeeded, for Reina said that her parents had died. And she thought Oleaney had too.

But since Oleaney didn't die, why didn't he go back to his sister? All Draco could come up with was that Oleaney might've been too ashamed after he had failed. Draco frowned. Even if he had failed, he should've come back. Draco didn't know much about siblings since he didn't have any, but it sounded as if Reina and Oleaney had been close. Wouldn't she have understood if her brother had failed? Wouldn't she have loved him all the same?

Then Draco remembered something. Reina said her brother had been killed by Death Eaters. Where had she gotten that information from? Draco thought harder, putting together what he knew.

Reina thought Oleaney had been killed by Death Eaters.

Oleaney had been trying to save their parents.

Their parents were dead.

Oleaney was alive.

Oleaney had failed.

So did that mean that the Juriac parents had been Death Eaters? Perhaps they had tried to kill their son and thought they had, so Reina thought Oleaney was dead, therefore giving her reason to believe her brother had been killed by Death Eaters. Or perhaps Oleaney had killed his parents. Maybe he had just gone crazy and decided to kill them instead of save them. Maybe he was so distraught over his wife's death that he hadn't been thinking clearly and had…

Draco almost stopped breathing. That was it! He frowned, his revelation already starting to slip from his mind. He had almost had it. It had briefly surfaced in his mind, only to fade away before he could fully comprehend it. He squeezed his eyes shut, thinking harder.

If Draco's idea that Oleaney's parents had been Death Eaters was true, and if Oleaney had gone after them, then Draco could only imagine what Oleaney had been through. Death Eaters were capable of anything. Perhaps they had tried to kill Oleaney, but they hadn't quite succeeded. Maybe Oleaney was too injured to return to his sister or maybe he had decided not to return to protect her. So for years he had stayed away from his sister, letting her believe that he had been killed.

_But that makes no sense,_ thought Draco. Why would Oleaney suddenly turn up at Hogwarts and teach, then? Maybe he had wanted to be closer to his sister and decided Hogwarts would be the perfect solution.

Draco frowned again. What was different about this year other than Oleaney Juriac teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts? One thing clearly came to Draco's mind, and that was the four students that had disappeared earlier that year. There was a connection, he felt sure there was. It was the first year Juriac taught. It was the first year students disappeared like that. Who was to say that Oleaney hadn't been the one to take them? If he had almost been killed by Death Eaters, maybe he had just gone off the deep end and mentally cracked.

It all made perfect sense in Draco's eyes. He felt a renewed sense of curiosity about what was down in the tunnel he and Ginny had discovered earlier that year. If his suspicions were correct –and Draco believed they were – then Oleaney Juriac was the culprit.

Draco looked up. Reina was still staring at the table, no doubt reliving the night her brother had left and the night he had "died." Downing the last of his tea, Draco stood up. Reina snapped out of her reverie and looked at him.

"I'm very sorry," Draco said, trying not to sound like he was dashing off. "I don't know how it is to lose someone you love, but believe me…I can imagine," Draco said truthfully; many times the fear of losing Ginny to his father or Death Eaters crossed his mind. "You have my deepest sympathies. I'm afraid, though, that I do have to be going. I have plans this afternoon."

"Of course," replied Reina, waving her hand towards the door. "Go ahead…" she didn't seem to mind Draco leaving at all, so Draco wasted no time in leaving the store. Once he was outside in the warm, late-May sun, he started running back towards Hogwarts. He didn't care if he looked ridiculous to passerbyers. He wanted to get back to Hogwarts as soon as possible and find Ginny.

He was on a mission.

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Ginny was sitting down by the lake with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ewan, enjoying the warm day. There was a gentle breeze that was playing with her hair, but she didn't bother to brush her hair out of her eyes; as soon as she tucked it behind her ear, it always blew back in her face anyway. Hermione and Ewan were sitting off to the side. Ewan was resting against a tree and Hermione was leaning against him, her head lying on his shoulder. Ewan's arm was wrapped around Hermione shoulder, his fingers messing idly with her hair. In fact, Ginny wasn't even sure he knew he was fingering her hair; Ewan was staring absentmindedly out over the lake.

Harry too was staring at the water. There was a sad, lost look in his eyes. Ginny felt sorry for him. She knew what kind of trials Harry was facing now that school was over. The showdown with Voldemort was coming ever closer, and she knew that something was up; she could almost feel it whenever she was around Harry, Hermione, or her brother. They were keeping her out of something, she knew. Whether it was because they were trying to protect her or because they simply didn't want her interfering, Ginny didn't know. She could only hope that whatever Harry faced, he would prevail.

Ginny looked over at her brother and saw him picking at the grass. He looked sad as well. Ginny could only imagine what leaving Hogwarts forever was like. She was glad that she'd be coming back next year, but at the same time, she was not looking forward to it. Life at Hogwarts without Ron, Harry, or Hermione would be strange. They had always been there for her, but now they wouldn't. She'd be alone. Even Draco wouldn't be there.

And that, more than the loss of her brother or his friends, hit her harder than ever. She was afraid that after Hogwarts, Draco would move on, find some other girl that would be there for him in person. The best Ginny would be able to do would be to send him letters. And even if Draco did wish to keep their relationship alive after Hogwarts, which is what deep down Ginny believed he wanted, his future was so uncertain. Ginny was fairly confident that he would never become a Death Eater, but that meant that he was in even more danger than ever. The thought of losing him brought tears to her eyes. She had come to enjoy being with him more than she had dreamed was possible. Losing him would be like losing a part of herself. Sniffing, Ginny hastily brushed her tears away, not wanting anybody to see her cry.

And then, almost as if her thoughts had materialized, she saw Draco in the distance running up the path from Hogsmede towards the castle. She straightened and frowned, wondering why Draco was running as if there was some monster chasing after him, jaws snapping at his heels; she actually checked, just to make sure. But no, there was no three-headed dog, no rampaging hippogriff, nothing.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Ginny carefully stood and backed away from her friends. None of them seemed to notice her retreating, and after she had backed away a good distance, she turned around and ran towards the castle. Draco had already disappeared inside and she hoped that he would've stopped running by now so that she wouldn't have to search the whole castle for him.

Ginny stopped to catch her breath once she stepped inside the entrance hall. There were a few students milling about, looking excited now that classes were over for the year, but she didn't see Draco anywhere. She was just about to start up the stairs and head for the library, thinking he might have gone up there, when she saw a familiar blond head rush towards her from the dungeons.

She saw Draco halt halfway across the entrance hall; their eyes met. He half turned and jerked his head back down into the dungeons, indicating for Ginny to follow him. She nodded and took off after him, adrenaline starting to pump through her.

After they had turned a few corners and were alone, Draco turned around and waited for Ginny to catch up to him. When she did, she was able to notice just how out of breath he was; she also noticed a familiar stone clutched in his hand.

Before Ginny could ask any questions, Draco grabbed her arm and started dragging her down the corridor. "Where are we going?" Ginny asked, keeping up with Draco's long strides.

He glanced nervously over his shoulder. "Not here," he said quietly. Ginny noticed that they were going further and further into the castle along a very familiar route, one she had not taken for months now. They were heading back towards the tunnel.

"Are we finally going back down?" Ginny asked excitedly. Draco didn't say anything. Soon they reached the door to the entrance to the tunnel and without a moment's hesitation, Draco stepped through, pulling Ginny with him.

Both teenagers lit their wands and stood facing each other. "What's going on, Draco?" Ginny asked.

"I found something out," Draco whispered.

"What?" Ginny asked breathlessly.

"I think I know who was taking the students."

"Who?" Ginny asked, her frustration at having to ask all these questions surfacing.

Draco took a deep breath. "Oleaney Juriac," he said.

"What?" Ginny laughed. "Oleaney Juriac? Come off it, Draco, he's the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." When she noticed Draco's scowl, she stopped laughing, though an amused smile remained on her face. "He's supposed to fight evil, not start it."

"Well," Draco said, "you probably won't think so after I tell you what I just found out. I was in Hogsmede talking with my mother. And when I was leaving, Reina pulled me into the kitchen for a cup of tea. We got to talking, and she let slip that she had a brother."

"I know that," Ginny said. "He died years ago, she said."

"But that's the thing," Draco said excitedly. "He didn't."

Ginny's mouth opened, but she didn't say anything. Then, "What do you mean he didn't? Reina said he did."

Draco sighed. "Ginny, I know that your brother, Granger, and the hero just love playing detectives," he said sarcastically, "but now it's our turn. Did you ever wonder what Reina's last name was?"

Ginny felt like a bucket of ice water had just been dumped over her head. She felt like slapping herself! How come she had known Reina since Christmas and had never thought to ask her last name? "No-o-o," Ginny said nervously.

"Well I asked today," Draco said. "Her last name is Juriac."

"But – but," began Ginny, her mind putting two and two together. "Then that would mean that her brother is our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"Exactly," Draco said. "And that means that he never died. Look, I asked a few questions, and Reina told me that right after his wife died, her brother Oleaney took off after his parents trying to save them."

"From what?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know," Draco said, shrugging his shoulders. "I didn't ask and she didn't say. But anyways, she says Death Eaters killed him and I have reason to believe that their parents were Death Eaters. Obviously Oleaney didn't save them as he said he would, because Reina says that shortly after her brother went after them, her parents died. She says she never saw Oleaney again and she knew that he died." Draco paused for breath before continuing. "I think that somehow they tried to kill Oleaney, but he didn't die. I don't know what he did all those years but he came to Hogwarts last year to teach. Since he's come, students have disappeared. I bet you anything that he was the one taking them."

Ginny stared at Draco. His accusations were very bold, but they did have some merit. And if they were true...Ginny shook her head. "Alright," she said slowly. "I suppose it's possible. But why would we go down there now? After all these weeks and months of _not _going, why now?

"Because," Draco said incredulously, "now we know for sure who it is, and it gives us all the more reason to solve this mystery. We can't let Juriac come back and teach next year. He could take even more students."

"So why don't we just go and tell Dumbledore everything?" Ginny asked.

"No." Draco shook his head. "We have to do this ourselves."

He sounded so excited. Ginny couldn't help but feel some of the excitement herself. She had once been so curious about it all; that curiosity started to resurface, now stronger than ever.

"Okay," she agreed. "Let's go."

Draco grinned at her and grabbed her hand, starting through the tunnel. "Oh," he said, stopping momentarily. "I almost forgot. See, Oleaney was married, but his wife died right before Oleaney went missing. The night before he left, he went to Reina's and gave her his wedding ring."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ginny asked.

"Where did you get that ring you gave me back at Christmas?" Draco countered.

Ginny swallowed, now realizing what Draco was coming on to. "It was in the box with the dress I got for the Masquerade Ball."

Draco frowned at her. Obviously this wasn't the answer he had wanted. But Ginny continued before Draco could get too discouraged. "But I got that dress from Reina. She gave it to me."

Draco's eyes lit up again. "I bet that this ring," he pulled the chain out from under his shirt so that the ring was hanging in front of him, "is Oleaney's wedding ring."

Ginny stared at the ring dangling in front of Draco's chest. A warm, satisfied feeling came over her; she hadn't known that Draco had actually kept that ring, let alone worn it. She had all but forgotten about it herself. She was touched that Draco had cared enough to wear it around his neck. She wondered just how soon after she had given it to him that he had decided to wear it…

"Ginny," Draco said. Ginny looked back up, blushing, and saw Draco grinning down at her. "Care to tell me what you find so interesting?" he asked slyly.

"No," she said, giving her head a little shake. Draco kept grinning but he didn't say anything. He tucked the ring back under his shirt and started down the tunnel.

When they finally stepped into the cavern, both Ginny and Draco's hearts were thumping with excitement. In Ginny's opinion, it had been far too long since she had been down here. The lake still glittered calmly in the center of the cavern, and on the other side, there was the overhang over which another tunnel traveled.

Both teenagers carefully walked around the side of the lake, taking care not to slip in the loose gravel, and stood at the bottom of the overhang. Ginny looked up nervously; she knew what lay over the top. Draco too was watching anxiously, his wand raised. He turned to Ginny.

"I'll go over first, and when I say so, you come after, okay?" Draco asked, looking at Ginny. Though Ginny would've rather gone with Draco, his tone invited no arguments, so she nodded her head and swallowed. "Keep your wand shining light over the top," Draco said. "Nox." His wand lost its light.

After taking a deep breath, Draco hastily pulled himself up the rock wall and stood on the edge, his wand pointed threateningly before him. Ginny stood on her toes and pointed her lit wand over the edge, hoping she was providing enough light. Suddenly she remembered the spell Draco had used in the cavern before and cast it; a soft glow ensued throughout the room and Ginny looked back up at Draco.

To her relief, Draco's wand was lowered and he turned to look down at her. "It's not there," he said. Ginny couldn't tell if he sounded worried or relieved, but she herself was glad that they didn't have to deal with that monster. It just made everything all the easier.

"Well help me up, then," Ginny said, holding her hand up. Pocketing his wand and glancing over his shoulder once more, Draco leaned down and grabbed Ginny. He pulled her up with a heave and Ginny was soon standing next to Draco, peering down the tunnel expectantly.

"Come on," Draco said, pulling out his wand again. Leaving the light of the cavern behind them, he lit his wand and started into the black tunnel, Ginny walking on his left. Draco glanced over his shoulder as they walked even further in.

Ginny was so excited about what they were doing that she failed to notice the nervous look on Draco's face. All she was concerned about was that she was finally going to figure out this mystery, that her curiosity would finally be put to bed. At least, she hoped that this mission would prove victorious. And if she had anything to say about it, it would be.

They kept creeping further and further into the tunnel. Their wands were the only source of light. When the tunnel started to slope upwards, Ginny was nearly thrown off balance. Then the tunnel started leveling out again, and a small dot of light was visible further on. As Ginny and Draco walked closer, the light became brighter and brighter until their wands were no longer needed for light.

Looking ahead, Ginny saw that the tunnel continued on for a few more yards before it turned sharply to the left. That part of the tunnel was also brightly lit, though Ginny saw no light source. Before they continued, Draco leading the way cautiously, Ginny glanced to her left and saw manacles imbedded in the rock wall. She remembered how the last time she had gotten this far down the tunnel, she had been unconscious; Draco had rescued her that time. A small smile came to her lips as that memory replayed in her head.

"Keep quiet and stick close to me," Draco whispered, his wand pointing in front of him, prepared for anything. Ginny nodded and crept alongside Draco.

When they got to the turn in the tunnel, Draco slowed down and put his hand out to block Ginny from coming any closer. Then, in one swift motion, he sprang around the corner with his wand pointed directly ahead of him. Ginny half-expected the cave creature to come barreling around the corner and knock into Draco, but to her relief, Draco lowered his wand and beckoned Ginny to follow.

Once Ginny turned the corner, she nearly stopped dead in her tracks, her eyebrows shooting upwards; Draco too had yet to move. Whatever she had expected to find down in the tunnel, it had not been this. The stone floor in front of her continued on for another five feet or so, and then the dirt petered out into a cement ground. Resting upon the cement was what appeared to be the basement of a house.

Draco walked forward slowly, looking about in wonder. Ginny followed him curiously, stepping onto the cement. She saw on one wall a large fireplace, but there was no fire. Next to the fireplace was a flight of wooden stairs that rose steeply; the door at the top was shut, but Ginny could see a crack of light coming from underneath.

Across from that was a wall that was completely empty save for another two sets of manacles that were hanging limply. On the wall opposite the tunnel was a table and chair. There were a few books and a plate holding a half-eaten sandwich on the table and a cloak was resting on the back of the chair.

Turning around slowly, still taking in everything in the room, Ginny shook her head. She glanced warily at the manacles before continuing on and looked up the stairs; Draco came to stand beside her. He looked up and then glanced at Ginny.

"Shall we?" he asked. Ginny nodded, suppressing a smile. Draco started slowly up the steps, Ginny right behind him. She glanced over her shoulder once at the tunnel just to make sure nothing was coming after them. But all was still and silent, so she turned her attention back to her front, where Draco was standing at the top of the steps. He pressed his ear against the door. Ginny held her breath, trying to hear if there was anything on the other side.

After a minute of nothing but silence, Draco cautiously opened the door and poked his head out. Ginny peered over his shoulder and saw that they were in a kitchen. Draco stepped forward and Ginny anxiously clambered after him, shutting the basement door after them and shuddering at the feeling that something evil was about to pop up from behind her and attack.

She watched Draco walk through another doorway and as soon as there was room, Ginny did the same, looking over her shoulder to see another doorway that led into another room. Though she was curious about what lay that way, she decided to stick with Draco. She followed him into what appeared to be the den, seeing another fireplace with a couch seated in front of it.

"Where are we?" Ginny whispered to Draco, wondering what a house was doing in a tunnel under the school.

"I think we're in Hogsmede," Draco replied, his voice equally soft. "That tunnel climbed back up and leveled out, so it would make sense." There were no windows for Ginny to see if they were in the village, but she agreed with Draco. The question was…why was there a tunnel that connected this house to the school? Ginny figured that this must be where Juriac took the students, and it would be convenient, for he could take them straight from the school.

Draco started down another hallway that broke off from the den. Ginny followed a bit more slowly this time, still looking around for any sort of clue. She wondered where Juriac was, if this was indeed his house. But then she remembered that this was the last day of exams and even though all of them were done for the day, Juriac was probably in some teachers meeting or sorting files or something. As long as he wasn't here, it was fine with her.

She saw that Draco had gotten far ahead of her in the hallway and he turned a corner into another room, but this time, Ginny didn't follow. Cautiously she opened the doors in the hallway to see what was inside. The first one was a linen closet containing blankets, towels, and other toiletries. The next door was merely stuffed with boxes. However, when Ginny opened the door after that, she saw another flight of stairs that led steeply upwards.

Ginny hesitated; she should probably tell Draco where she was going, but at the moment, Ginny was too interested in what lay at the top of the stairs. So without further deliberation, she started up. The stairs under her creaked eerily half-way up, and Ginny paused, wondering if anybody was at the top. She pushed those fears aside, though she peered around the doorway at the top of the stairs carefully before she stepped inside the room.

It was clearly the attic of the house; the ceiling sloped down near the walls of the room and a tiny rectangular window sat near the ceiling on one wall. Under the window was a cot with yellowing, moth-eaten sheets. Ginny wrinkled her nose in disgust and slowly stepped further into the room, her wand ready although she saw no traces of life. Opposite the cot was a desk that had some books and twisted pieces of metal on it. Some of the books were entitled Healer Ardell's Guide to Human Duplication, Fantastic Feats You Never Knew You Could Do, and Magical Plants of the Orient.

Ginny picked up the latter, a thin red book with gold trim and gold-rimmed pages. She flipped open the book and saw a page containing a picture of what appeared to be a bush of some kind devouring a human body. Swallowing, Ginny put the book back down and turned to what was taking up the majority of the room – several large metal tables containing books, cauldrons, phials, potions, dishes of potion ingredients (most of which Ginny had seen only in Professor Snape's private store), and more of the weird metal pieces that had been on the desk.

Glancing at the door to make sure nobody was coming up, Ginny walked over to one of the tables in the middle of the floor. This table held mostly books and empty cauldrons and phials. Ginny's eyes scanned over the contents, but she didn't see anything immediately attention-grabbing, so she moved on to the next table, which held cauldrons full to the brim with different potions. Ginny covered her nose as she peered into a cauldron containing a putrid red substance that made Ginny's lunch contemplate regurgitation.

She quickly moved on to another cauldron. This one smelled much better; in fact, Ginny found herself staring dazedly into the smooth purple liquid as the sweet odor caused her mind to wander to happy times when she was a child, before she had gone to Hogwarts, when she and her brothers would play and laugh together. Slowly, subconsciously, Ginny lowered her head towards the cauldron, wanting to be as close as possible to the wonderful sensation is offered. Another memory of when she and her mother had made cookies came to her – Ginny could have been no more than four or five in this memory, but it was one that she treasured. Her mother had let Ginny lick the spoon that was thick with cookie dough, and Ginny had absolutely loved it.

Quick as lightning, an image Draco holding her hand, smiling at her in a way that sent pleasant shivers down her arms, popped into her mind and Ginny was jerked back to reality. She gasped as she realized that her face was inches away from the purple substance, which had started to bubble menacingly.

Ginny backed away hurriedly, knocking into the table behind her and upsetting a bowl of what looked like flobberworm mucus. Her eyes darted anxiously to the purple potion, which was once again dangerously calm before she walked on to another table. She shuddered to think what would have happened if she had been seduced enough to touch that potion.

As she was walking much more carefully through the isles of tables, Ginny spotted at the end of the row a black box the size of her head. Ginny started over to the box but before she got there, her foot caught on something and she went crashing towards the ground. Her arms flailed in hopes of grabbing something to slow her fall and she knocked over a small cauldron, causing a cloudy silver liquid to fall all over her.

Sprawled on her side, her arms aching from the impact of her fall, Ginny slowly sat up. Her eyebrows furrowed in worry when she saw the silver potion covering parts of her arms, legs, chest, face and hair. She desperately tried to rub it off, not knowing what kind of potion it was. But before she made much progress, the potion disappeared; Ginny had an uneasy feeling that it her body had absorbed it.

Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, fully prepared to keel over dead in any moment, but nothing happened. She tentatively opened one eye, and, seeing that she was still in one piece, shakily rose to her feet. She looked down to see what had caused her to trip and saw a pair of shoes with the socks sticking out of them; they were much too small to belong to Professor Juriac. Ginny looked at the cauldron she had knocked over and saw that the potion was dripping onto the floor, but after being on the floor for only a few seconds, the potion disappeared. Again Ginny nervously gazed down at her body, wondering what the potion would do, but a shout from downstairs banished away all other thoughts.

"Ginny!" shouted Draco's voice. "Ginny, where are you?"

"Up here!" Ginny cried out. She grabbed her wand as she heard someone pounding up the steps. She let out a shaky sigh when she saw that it was Draco; however, he looked very upset.

"Ginny, we have to get out of here. Juriac is back. He saw me," he said, grabbing Ginny's hand and starting to pull her towards the door. But what they heard next caused both teens to halt.

"Ginny!" cried a very familiar voice from at the bottom of the steps. Ginny and Draco stepped back from the doorway as none other than Draco Malfoy walked through, staring straight at Ginny.

Ginny's eyes widened as she saw what looked and sounded exactly like Draco standing before her. Her head darted to the side, where Draco was also holding her hand, staring at the other Draco.

Ginny ripped her hand out of Draco's and backed away quickly, her wand pointing at the Draco that was standing in the doorway.

"Ginny," said the Draco that had been holding her hand, looking pleadingly at her, "Ginny, it's me, Draco." He looked so innocent and truthful, but Ginny didn't know what was going on.

"No, Ginny," called the Draco that was still standing by the door, "don't listen to him. He's trying to trick you." This Draco took a step into the room. "It's me, Ginny. It's Draco."

The other Draco shook his head violently, looking at Draco angrily. "I don't know who or what this guy is, but he's not me!"

It was so strange; they both looked, sounded, and moved exactly alike. But something was seriously wrong. Ginny couldn't decide which Draco she needed to watch more; her wand kept going back and forth between them. All the while, she was stealthily backing up, trying to put as much distance as possible in between herself and the Draco clones. What was this? She was sure that at least one of them was the real Draco, but who was the other? Oleaney Juriac? Ginny recalled a certain spell that said teacher had taught her class at the beginning of the year. _What is it again?_ Ginny thought impatiently. It was just on her exam; she should remember it.

"That's the imposter," said the Draco in the door, pointing to the other boy. "He's Juriac!"

Ginny's eyes darted towards the Draco who had come to her first. He was shaking his head again, looking back at the other Draco. "No," he said. "He's wrong." He took a step towards Ginny, whose wand was pointed straight at him again. _"He's_ Juriac!" he insisted, pointing at the Draco in the door.

"How can I be sure?" Ginny asked, though she knew now how she could tell. She remembered that in one of her first classes with Professor Juriac, he had taught the class the Privivero charm. If there were two objects that looked exactly alike and one object was not supposed to be what it appeared to be, the Privivero charm would reveal the imposter; she remembered the disastrous results their experimentation with that spell had had for her fellow Gryffindor, Ned. Considering the circumstances, Ginny thought this was the perfect time to use the spell again.

"Ginny, you can trust me!" pleaded the Draco nearest her, but she ignored him.

Raising her wand towards the two boys, Ginny shouted, "Privivero!" Her eyes involuntarily closed from the effects of the spell, and in her mind's eye she saw a shimmering white light against which stood the two Dracos in the position they were really standing in. The Draco that was standing near the doorway flashed before turning into an image of none other than her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Oleaney Juriac.

Then in about the time span of two seconds, several things happened. First, the image of Juriac faded and Ginny's eyes opened.

Second, the real Draco stepped forward and shouted in warning, "Ginny!"

Thirdly, pain erupted in Ginny's skull and she fell unconscious to the floor.

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**A/N:** So, what's going on? What happened to Ginny? I'm sure those are only a few of the questions you're just dying to know the answers to. But you'll have to wait for the next chapter. Just a warning…the next chapter will probably be lengthy, so it might take me a while to get out. But who knows, maybe it'll end up being a short chapter. Review please!

Lauren


	39. Enter the Man

When you come across the song lyrics in this chapter, make sure you read them. They're important. 

Disclaimer: I don't own this.

**Chapter 39: Enter the Man**

Draco watched panicked –for a moment he even forgot about the clone standing behind him– as the cave monster snuck up behind Ginny, whose eyes were closed serenely. He shouted out a warning, but Ginny barely had time to open her eyes before the monster raised one of its large fists and with one quick thwack, caused Ginny to crumple in an unconscious heap to the ground.

His worry for Ginny had just set in when Draco was slammed against the wall of the attic with one of the creature's fists tight around his neck. Draco groped against the hand but it was no use; it was far stronger than anything Draco had ever experienced.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his look-a-like go through a transformation. His frame elongated several inches taller, his shoulders and face narrowed, and his hair turned from silver-blond to a light brown. Once the morphing was done, a Draco-clone no longer stood in the room. Draco was faced with Oleaney Juriac.

"You," Draco choked out, glaring at his professor. The fist around his neck tightened threateningly and Draco's eyes jerked towards the eerie blue ones staring down at him; the foul smell coming from the creature's mouth threatened to overwhelm Draco.

"Carl," spoke Juriac calmly, dusting off his robe. "Let him go."

_Carl?_ Draco thought, staring wide-eyed at the monster before him. _It has a name?_ After a moment, the creature –Carl– grudgingly let him go. Draco glared at him, resisting the urge to rub his neck, and moved towards Ginny.

Glancing uneasily at Juriac, he bent over her and felt for a pulse, though he felt reasonably sure that she was alive; his worry was relieved as he felt a strong pulse. Draco knew that at the moment, he couldn't help Ginny. His prime concern was getting the both of them out of there safely, and to do that, he needed to concentrate on the two figures before him, one a man and the other anything but.

So, leaving Ginny to lie on the floor, he stood and grasped his wand, pointing it first at Juriac and then at Carl.

"What is this?" Draco snapped. "So you're the one who took those kids, Harding, Johnson, Longbottom, and Parkinson, right?"

Juriac sighed at Draco irritably and shifted his feet.

"Yes, yes, yes," Juriac said. "But what does it matter? I returned them all. None of them were hurt."

"Where are we?" Draco countered, not missing a beat.

"Hogsmede," replied Juriac as calmly as if they were two friends discussing Quidditch. If Draco wasn't mistaken, he actually seemed pleased.

"And what is…_that?"_ Draco asked, tipping his wand towards the creature.

"_That_ is Carl," Juriac said. "He's my Cusderm." He nodded happily.

Draco blinked. What in the world was a Cusderm? "Your what?"

"My Cusderm," Juriac repeated. "My own skin. I created him myself. Very old spell. But I won't explain it to you now. It would take too long and I am afraid that I should be going."

Draco, his wand still pointing at Carl, watched as Juriac walked past him, skipped over Ginny, and headed towards a desk. He opened a drawer, pulled out a bag, and started tossing in books. Draco glanced over his shoulder at the man, then back at Carl, and, deciding that he could leave the creature for a moment, turned around to face Juriac.

"You're not going anywhere," Draco stated. "We're taking you back to Dumbledore and he can deal with you…call aurors, send you to Azkaban, whatever. But you will never be here to take another student again."

Oleaney turned to look at Draco, an eyebrow raised. "I'm not going anywhere." For once, Draco heard a bit of the professor he knew surface in his voice; he was talking in the voice he used when one of his students misbehaved. "You and the girl –Ginny, I think you said her name was– have seen too much. Carl, block the door."

Draco whirled around and saw Carl step in front of the doorway and stare menacingly back at Draco, who stepped closer to Ginny. "I can't have you going back to Albus like you say you will," Juriac said, setting down his bag and looking at Draco. "I shall have to erase your memories."

Draco pointed his wand straight at Juriac. "Don't even think about it," he said quietly.

"Mr. Malfoy, you always were one of a kind. I expected great things from you." Juriac shook his head sadly. "I should have guessed that you were my trespasser."

"You knew about us?" Draco asked.

"Of course I did," Juriac grinned. "Carl reported to me right after you and Ginny first came down here. He chased you off, which were the orders I had given him. But you came back. Then he caught the girl and tried to bring her back to me. I suppose you were the one to rescue her."

"Yeah," Draco said defiantly. "I did."

Juriac cocked his head to the side, his eyebrows creasing. "It was romantic, was it not?"

Draco frowned. "Excuse me?" he asked sarcastically.

"Your rescuing Ginny, of course!" Juriac replied, now grinning. "I remember now." He leaned comfortably against his desk. "On one of the first days here you tried to curse her and I told you that if you wanted get a girl's attention, you should try something less drastic. I see you took my advice! Yes, girls seem to like romantic things such as being rescued. I wonder if she didn't come down here for that sole purpose, knowing you would come after her. Ah, well." He suddenly leapt back over Ginny and down an isle of tables, leaving a bewildered Draco to watch.

Draco knew that his teacher was probably a tad crazy, but this was down right strange. Juriac stopped when he saw an overturned cauldron and glanced suspiciously back at Draco, then down at Ginny, before he warily looked back at Draco.

"Did you knock over this cauldron?" he asked, pointing to said cauldron.

"No." Draco shook his head.

"Oh," Juriac said, frowning as he looked down at Ginny. Draco too looked at her and had an uneasy feeling about what had happened to her before he had shown up in this attic.

"Why?" Draco asked as Juriac continued walking towards the end of a table. "What potion was that?"

Juriac picked up a black box and then walked back towards the desk; he smiled happily as he skipped over Ginny's prone form once more. "It was one of my own inventions," Juriac replied. "I suppose you'll find out soon enough what it does. That is, if she drank it, which I hope she didn't. I never did think the Weasleys were so dumb as to drink an unknown potion. If they are, then I didn't do a very good job as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, did I?"

Draco didn't feel he needed to answer that question. This was certainly not how Draco was envisioning this confrontation to go. He had pictured a fight maybe, most likely just finding evidence, but not this. It seemed as if Oleaney wasn't even mad at them, more like amused or even proud that somebody had discovered him. And Draco didn't feel much like cursing his teacher at the moment, mainly for the reason that Juriac wasn't acting aggressive at all regardless of his talk of erasing their memories. Draco was fully prepared to attack him, but he felt certain that if he attacked Juriac, there would be nothing stopping Carl from attacking Draco himself.

"She thinks you're dead, you know," Draco said.

"Who does?" Juriac asked absent-mindedly, not even turning around from his desk to look at Draco.

"Your sister."

This got Juriac's attention, though his reaction wasn't what Draco expected. He turned around to look at Draco, thoroughly bewildered. "My sister?" he asked. "Dear boy, you must have lost it. I don't have a sister."

Draco stared back at him, equally stunned. "Of course you do," he replied, hoping he didn't sound too uncertain. "I met her myself."

Juriac shook his head. "Well that's impossible because I _don't_ have a sister. I don't have any family at all."

Now that was just ridiculous. "Oh?" Draco asked. "Then where are your parents? Where are you from?"

Juriac half turned towards Draco and grinned while saying dreamily, "I'm from under the sea."

Draco's eyebrows shot up but he didn't say anything. Yes, there was definitely something seriously wrong with this guy. Draco glanced backwards and saw that Carl was still in his position in front of the door.

Then Oleaney whipped around, his wand pointed at Draco. Draco raised his wand again, prepared to block any attack that came at him. However, neither man got a chance to utter a curse, for a low moan came from the ground beside Draco and they both looked down. Ginny was stirring.

She sat up, wincing as she did so, and brought a hand to the back of her head. She was facing the door and when she saw Carl, she blanched and scooted backwards, brushing into Draco's legs. Then she looked up, glanced over her shoulder and saw Juriac, and looked back to Draco with a relieved sigh.

As she slowly rose to her feet, she pulled out her wand, though she didn't point it anywhere. "What going on?" she hissed in his ear, looking warily at Juriac. "He is the bad guy, right?"

"Right," Draco replied. Ginny nodded and then pointed her wand at Juriac, though Draco saw her hand tremble as she did so; he wondered uneasily if she had been seriously hurt when Carl had hit her.

"Hello," Juriac said, smiling warmly at Ginny. "Sorry Carl hit you so hard. But it was necessary."

Ginny glanced incredulously at Draco as if to ask if Juriac was serious. Draco just shrugged. "I'm afraid," continued Juriac, "that the two of you must be obliviated. But don't worry. I won't take away anymore of your memories than the ones you have of me, Carl, the tunnel, everything. You'll wake up back in Hogwarts as if none of this happened, so there's no need to worry."

_No need to worry?_ thought Draco unbelievingly. Knowing that an attack was coming soon, he watched carefully. As soon as Juriac opened his mouth and started to utter the spell that would take away his memory, Draco cried "Stupefy!"

However, Juriac was faster than Draco had thought. He dodged the spell and ducked behind his desk as Ginny started firing spells at him. Draco glanced back at Carl, but to his astonishment, he saw the creature standing as calmly as before.

"Draco, look out!" Ginny cried quickly, and Draco turned back around just in time to catch a body-bind curse full in the chest. His arms snapped to his side and he fell backwards stiffly to the ground; if he had been able to, he would have winced as his head hit the floor. The only part of his body that still worked was his eyes, which saw Ginny dart aside, narrowly missing a curse. Draco saw her glance at him wildly, but she was too busy blocking spells from Juriac and shouting her own to take the curse off of him.

"Expelliarmus!" shouted Juriac.

"Protego!" Ginny countered, and Juriac's spell bounced harmlessly off her shield, which then disappeared. Before Ginny could arm herself again, she was hit in the stomach with a curse that caused her to flip backwards through the air. Draco watched her knock into one of the tables, sending bowls of doxy eggs, asphodel root, and wormwood tumbling to the ground.

Draco held his breath. Ginny wasn't moving. The table had fallen over on top of her; there were potion ingredients everywhere. But all Draco cared about was that his Ginny wasn't moving. Anger gripped him, anger at this man who was supposed to be his teacher. Draco wanted to go and pummel him. Curses were too good for him. Draco wanted the satisfaction of personally making him bleed.

Draco struggled against the curse holding him still. If he could only get free…then he saw Juriac stand from behind the desk and make his way towards Ginny. Draco willed something to move, a finger, a toe. His wand was still in his hand. It was as infuriating as it was embarrassing knowing that he had gotten beaten so quickly. If only he hadn't turned to look at that stupid Carl!

Watching Juriac get closer and closer to Ginny, Draco felt his heart start to pound. But then he saw Ginny's hand tighten around her wand, still lying face down. In one swift movement, she raised herself partway and pointed her wand at Juriac, taking him by surprise.

"Stupefy!" Ginny cried, and was rewarded by the body of her professor falling unconscious to the floor.

Without even glancing at Juriac, she made her way to Draco and took the curse off of him. "Are you alright?" Draco asked when he felt his limbs relax from the curse. He stood quickly and grabbed Ginny by the shoulders, looking worriedly into her eyes. Ginny nodded at him.

"Yeah, I'm good," she said. She glanced past Draco towards the door. "It's gone," she said, startled.

"Carl?" Draco asked, turning around.

Ginny glanced at him. "Carl?" she repeated.

"That's what Juriac called him," Draco said, shrugging his shoulders. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know," Ginny replied. "But let's not waste time with him. Let's just get Juriac back to the school."

Draco nodded and turned around. He looked down at Juriac lying on the floor. Grabbing and handing his teacher's wand to Ginny, he pocketed his own. He got down on his knees and grabbed Juriac's wrists, proceeding to pull the man's torso over his shoulder, and moved his hands to the back of the man's knees. Slowly, staggering slightly under the weight, he rose to his feet.

"Are you sure you don't just want to levitate him, Draco?" Ginny asked uncertainly. Draco scoffed at her.

"Are you saying you think me weak?"

"No," replied Ginny quickly as they moved towards the door. "But you don't want to waste your energy."

"I'm fine," Draco said. "Levitating him through this house would be too difficult; there are too may narrow hallways and turns."

Ginny shrugged and started down the stairs. Draco went more slowly and though once or twice he thought he was going to fall, he made it down the stairs safely. The two teenagers then weaved their way through the house and back into the basement.

Before they started back into the tunnel, Draco turned around and looked into the room once more; Carl was gone, and Draco didn't like his sudden disappearance. Either the thing –what had Juriac called it? A Cusderm?– had decided once Juriac was captured that it wasn't safe to stick around, or maybe it was lying in wait for them, ready to ambush. Draco would've liked to believe the former, but the latter was more likely to happen.

So as they cautiously walked through the tunnel, Ginny providing light enough for them to see, Draco kept a close eye out for Carl. However, to his enormous relief, he didn't spot the creature anywhere, and they made it safely back into the cavern without any disturbance. Oleaney Juriac was getting heavy on Draco's shoulders, though.

They made it through the cavern and were just entering the tunnel that led up to Hogwarts when the trouble came.

Since his shoulders and back were aching something fierce by now, Draco set Oleaney on the ground and was about to levitate him when he heard a noise from across the cavern, near the tunnel that they'd come out of a few minutes earlier. Ginny heard the noise too, which, later on, Draco would conclude to have been some rocks tumbling from the overhang.

He and Ginny turned around, and what Draco saw, rendered him speechless. Coming closer, yet still oblivious to Draco and Ginny, was Lucius Malfoy.

Draco stood there blankly, watching his father edge down the overhang tentatively. The only thing going through his mind was why his father was down here, of all possible places. Draco was too stunned to contemplate an answer though. It seemed Ginny was wondering similar things, for she asked, "What is _he_ doing here?"

This question brought to Draco's mind all of his fears of the past months, the fear that his father would find out about Ginny. And here she was…and here Lucius was. Chills traveled down his spine. He had to get Ginny and Oleaney out of here before Lucius found them.

Draco grabbed Ginny and pulled her down to the ground, crouching low himself. "Ginny, levitate Juriac and go back up to the school to Dumbledore. Tell him everything, all that we've been doing down here since the start of the year, and tell him about Reina and what she said."

"But what –"

"No, Ginny, don't argue with me now," Draco said impatiently. He glanced back into the cavern. Lucius was now on the ground and making his way towards them, though he was going slowly, taking in all of his surroundings. "Just go."

"You're not going to him, are you?" Ginny asked incredulously. "Draco, he might kill you."

"He's had seventeen years to kill me," Draco said, shrugging. "He won't do it now, especially not when he hopes to give me to Voldemort. I'll be fine. But we've talked about what will happen if he finds you with me. Go."

Ginny looked at Lucius nervously before back at Draco. For a moment, he thought she was going to protest, but then she nodded stiffly. "Okay." Her voice was small, scared. Draco knew for a fact that he wouldn't die. If his theory was correct, he was wearing Oleaney Juriac's wedding ring; as long as he was still wearing it, which he was, then he wouldn't die. Draco regretted not telling Ginny this earlier, but he didn't have time to explain now.

Trying to assuage Ginny's fear the only way he knew how, Draco pulled her into his arms and kissed her tenderly. Her arms wrapped tightly around him; she didn't seem to want to part from him, but Draco knew that soon, Lucius would be able to see them. As gently as he could, he leaned back from her and she looked up at him wistfully, her lips parted.

"I'll come back to you. I promise," Draco said. Ginny nodded. "Now go."

Quietly Ginny stood and levitated their professor and disappeared into the tunnel. Once he was sure that they were out of sight, Draco stood and stepped into the cavern, walking down the rocky slope until he knew Lucius could see him.

_Sometimes  
__Slowly  
__Time brings revelation_

There was an air of deathly calm about Draco now; he wasn't frightened as he knew he should be. A sense of determination swept through him. If Lucius wanted a fight, then he would get one. If he wanted compliance, then he should look elsewhere.

Lucius stiffened, Draco saw. A delirious pleasure came from the depths of his soul. All the years of his father threatening him, torturing him, taking away his childhood and all that was entitled to him came back to Draco. It was time for his revenge, for him to take what was his.

As Draco stepped down the embankment towards his father, who stood near the water's edge, he drew his wand. Lucius already had his out.

"Hello, Father," Draco said. "What brings you down here?"

"You," Lucius replied, equally calm. "I looked for you in your room but you weren't there."

"So you thought the next best place to look would be in a hidden tunnel under the school?" Draco asked. He looked around the cavern skeptically. "Nice choice."

"Do not disrespect your betters," Lucius said, traces of anger seeping through his voice.

Draco laughed cruelly. "That is one of the most untrue things you've ever said. You are not better than me."

"And I suppose you think you are a saint, Draco?" Lucius's lip curled.

"No," Draco replied, shaking his head, a soft smile playing about his lips. He didn't take his eyes off of his father. "And that is what makes me so different from you. You think that you are some god, but I know that I am not. I know what you really are."

"And that is…?" Lucius asked, lifting his hand, beckoning for Draco to continue. "Please enlighten me."

_Waiting  
__Softly  
__For someone to believe_

"Well, the main difference between you and me is simple," Draco stated. He walked down the rest of the slope until he was on even ground with his father, standing twenty feet apart. "You work for someone who cares nothing about you, who wouldn't give a damn if you dropped dead. I work for no one and am therefore free. You hear that, Lucius? I'm free."

"You'll never be free," Lucius whispered so softly, Draco almost didn't hear him. "You belong to me, and soon, you will belong to the Dark Lord. And when we are fighting side-by-side, you and I… father and son, you will turn to me on your knees and thank me for all that I've given up for you, for all that I've _sacrificed_," Lucius snarled, "for you to get to the top!"

"Sacrificed?" Draco asked disbelievingly, taking an angry step forward. "The only thing you ever sacrificed is a son! The second you decided to give me to him, you gave me up. Maybe I didn't know it yet, maybe I didn't realize it then, but I do now. What is there worth fighting for on your side? Death? Betrayal? Some ancient belief that we are better than someone else just because we have better ancestry? No!"

"You don't know what you're saying, boy," Lucius said.

"I'm not a boy!" Draco snapped, incensed.

"Yes you are! You are nothing, Draco! I've told you time and time again! You are an immature boy who can't see a good thing when it slaps him in the face." Rage poured throughout Draco as he listened to his father, but before he could retaliate, Lucius continued.

"If you think you can just switch sides, then you are mistaken. Nobody will take in the son of a Death Eater. Nobody will believe that you have truly turned on us." Lucius shook his head, his mouth contorting angrily at his own declaration. "You have done too much wrong for redemption. You can't turn to them anymore! You think they really want you anyway? No! You would just be some tool, some way for them to spy on us. You would never be treated as an equal, Draco. They would always be looking at you, waiting for the moment when you would finally turn and betray them as well! Just like you betrayed us! No, Draco," Lucius wetted his lips, looking at Draco manically. "You can't possibly believe that they want you. You are and always will be one of us. It's in your blood. They know that, I know that, and you know that. You are just deceiving yourself thinking you can be anything different. It's time for you to join us fully now. You've been given a taste of the great things you will be doing; aren't you hungry for more?"

Draco thought of the Grant family, of the young boy Aidan whom Draco had killed himself. He bit his tongue, trying to keep back a bombardment of memories and hatred that had nothing to do with Lucius. Draco had spent many hours trying to put that night behind him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget the desperate look of a boy silently pleading for mercy, and he couldn't ignore the cowardly way he had pushed that look aside and done what his father and Voldemort wanted anyway.

_That the ghosts we've hidden or left to die  
__Have now arisen and will arrive  
__To say what has happened  
__Say what has happened  
__Say what has happened  
__To me_

Draco shook his head, whether against the memories or against what his father was saying, he didn't know.

"You're wrong," he said hoarsely. "If you think that one night is enough to make me go to your side, then you are wrong."

"Draco," Lucius said, starting towards Draco, "it is time for you to become who you were always meant to be."

"No," Draco replied resolutely, standing his ground. "I will not go to you. I will fight you and then I will take my mother and I will hide her again so that you will never find her. You will never find either her or me. You will never hurt either one of us again."

It was as if Lucius had turned to stone. He froze, staring with unmasked hatred at his son. Draco felt a rugged satisfaction that he had tricked his father thus. He betrayed none of these feelings on the outside, but inwardly, he felt as if he had just won a small but important battle.

"You…" Lucius snarled, coming towards Draco now with a fierce determination.

Draco was ready. He raised his wand and shouted, "Impedimenta!"

Lucius was ready as well. He easily blocked the spell and countered with one of his own. Draco could feel the dark curse as it came towards him. He could feel the vileness that radiated off of it. He was glad when he blocked it, glad that he wouldn't get the chance to know what it would have done.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!" Draco shouted. The shield held; however, Draco could feel it quiver before it died completely, Lucius's curse ricocheting off somewhere in the cavern.

Lucius twirled his wand and pointed it back at Draco. "Circum cumvinculum!"

Draco's shield did not survive this curse. He felt tight bonds slide up his wrists and wrap around his torso, sealing his arms to his sides. He struggled against the ropes, but they were too strong. Lucius looked victorious. Draco willed the ropes covering his shoulders to his wrists to disappear, but nothing happened. His wand was still clutched in his hand, pointing straight at the ground from the position his arms were in; it did him no good.

Straining as much as he could, anxiously noting that his father was coming towards him, Draco twirled his wand until it was pointing up at the ropes. "Reducto," he said hurriedly. Lucius stopped and growled impatiently.

Draco brushed the now limp bonds to the ground, but before he could gain his bearings, Lucius hit him with a curse that caused Draco to rise up and tumble through the air over Lucius's head, slamming painfully into the rock wall of the cavern and sliding to the ground. Draco groaned, his eyes closed against the pain coursing throughout his body.

Warily he opened his eyes, looking about for his father. He saw Lucius stalking towards him purposefully. Draco stumbled to his feet, wincing slightly, and tried to brace himself. Before Lucius could curse him again, Draco shouted, "Aegrotatio!"

Instantly Lucius dropped to his knees, his hands clutching at his throat. Draco didn't care if the sickness curse was killing his father; from the depths of his soul, Draco just didn't care. Lucius looked up at Draco, his eyes pleading.

"Son," he choked out, but he closed his eyes in pain, his mouth gaping. Draco stood over his father, staring down at him with hatred. This man had caused so much pain in his life, so much suffering. Why shouldn't Draco just kill him? The world would certainly be better without Lucius Malfoy. But staring down at his father's helpless figure, Draco couldn't bring himself to do it. The pain that killing Aidan Grant had caused Draco was too great and too recent for him to wish it upon himself again, even if it was because of his father.

"Finite Incantatem," Draco said softly, lowering his wand. Lucius collapsed on his side, gasping for breath, his face sweating and pale. With each rise and fall of his father's chest, something thumped inside Draco. What was that? Was it pride? Happiness? No, Draco wasn't happy his father was alive. He was just glad he hadn't killed him.

_Satisfaction…_

Then overwhelming pain enveloped Draco and he fell to the ground. During his thoughts, he hadn't noticed Lucius stagger to his feet and place the Cruciatus curse on him.

Draco clenched his teeth, willing himself not to scream. His insides rattled, protesting the assault, but it did no good. To Draco, his life was ending one excruciating wave of pain at a time. He was aware that his body was convulsing, that he was shaking so badly that he jerked off the ground completely a time or two, but Draco couldn't see the way his father was laughing hysterically above him, couldn't see the mad glint in his eye at seeing the pain he was causing, couldn't see how much pleasure his father was getting from this. But Draco didn't need to see it. He already knew it, could feel it.

The pain doubled, if that was possible, and Draco couldn't stop a harsh scream escaping from his throat. It reverberated throughout the cavern, bouncing off the walls and coming back to circle around Draco, teasing him. He hoped with all his might that Ginny was out of the tunnel now and couldn't hear him; it would drive her crazy to hear this.

And then the pain disappeared as suddenly as it had come. Draco lay in a mess on the ground, his entire body twitching. He looked up through bleary eyes and saw Lucius looking down at him.

"You've lost, Draco," Lucius said. He wetted his lips in satisfaction. "You've lost."

"No," Draco replied, his voice cracking. "I've won."

Lucius shook his head as if Draco's words were amusing. "You only think you have. I see that you have made your choice. Now I am going to make mine."

Draco knew it was coming even as Lucius raised his wand. He struggled to his feet once again, knowing that he wanted to defy his father one last time and die standing, die fighting.

The victory belonged to Draco already. Lucius could curse Draco until he was black and blue, but Draco wouldn't die. Later on down the road, Draco would relish the look in his father's eyes when he realized that his son was still alive, but for now, Draco would play along.

"Avada Kedavra!"

There was only a speck of apprehension in Draco as the killing curse that so far only one person had survived hit him in the chest. What if Draco was wrong? What if the ring didn't work?

Draco needn't have worried though, for though he fell to the ground, he was still very much alive. It was a strange sensation, really. His eyes were closed, mouth parted, seemingly dead. Even if Draco wanted to open his eyes and stand up, he wouldn't have been able to. His body felt more tired than it ever had, his eye lids so heavy he didn't think he'd ever be able to open them.

Almost as if he were in a dream, he heard his father laugh victoriously above him. Draco let his hand relax and his wand rolled limply from his fingers.

"You're wrong once again, Draco," Lucius said softly. "I did win."

Then Draco heard a swish of robes as his father turned around and walked away. What felt like hours went by, though in reality, only a few minutes passed. Then Draco heard feet running.

"No!" a voice screamed. "Draco! No!"

It was Ginny. Draco wanted to sit up and reassure her that he was alright, but he couldn't seem to move at all.

"Draco," sobbed Ginny, crashing to her knees beside him. He felt her hands grab his face and lift it towards her. "Wake up," she cried. She shook him. "Wake up." Draco didn't move. Ginny ran her hand gently over his eyes, across his forehead, down the side of his cheek, trembling as they came to rest over his lips.

For a moment, there was only Ginny's ragged, uneven breathing as she waited for some response from Draco, some indication that he was still alive. But none came. Draco felt her body start wracking with uncontrollable sobs and she leaned over him, burying his face in her neck. Her warm tears fell down the side of his face and Draco felt his heart breaking alongside hers. One of the reasons he defied his father, continued to defy him with every breath he was now taking, was cradling him, crying for him. Ginny was his reason, was his everything.

_And who would have thought  
__That you'd be the one  
__That I would have found here waiting_

"No, Draco," Ginny lamented, "you can't be dead. You promised me you'd come back. You promised –" she broke off, hiccoughing for breath. Draco wanted to reach up and hold her, comfort her.

Ever so slightly, the tip of his finger bent. _Yes,_ he thought excitedly. The rest of that finger, followed by the rest, curved into the palm of his hand. He made a fist on the ground behind Ginny, though his hand relaxed again in seconds, too weak to continue.

He tried his eyes next. Slowly, ever so agonizingly slowly, they both cracked open to see a sea of red. Ginny's hair had slipped over her shoulders, shielding his face. He could see the top of her neck, right near her ear. One of her hands was cradling the back of his head and the other was pressed flat in between his shoulder blades, holding him as near her as possible.

"Ginny." The name escaped through his lips like a passing breath, barely perceptible. But Ginny heard him. She stiffened for a second, and then her head rose hesitantly. Her bloodshot eyes looked down at him disbelievingly. She said not a word.

"Ginny," Draco repeated, smiling weakly.

"Draco?" she squeaked. The corners of her lips rose tentatively, a small, grateful laugh coming out before she looked back at him as if expecting him to die again.

With a strength that Draco didn't know he was capable of at the moment, he reached up with his hand and clasped at his shirt. He groaned with the effort, but in the end, he pulled out a silver chain from which dangled a very special ring.

_Lost in this night  
__Until you arrived  
__And always too blind to see_

"This ring saved my life," Draco said slowly.

Ginny looked confused. "I – I don't…I don't under…stand," Ginny stammered, astonished.

"There's something I didn't tell you," Draco said, closing his eyes briefly over the wave of exhaustion he felt.

"Oh what I wouldn't give for a strengthening solution right now," muttered Ginny.

Draco grinned weakly. "I didn't tell you earlier, but this ring, Oleaney's wedding ring, had a protection spell placed on it by his wife. As long as he was wearing it, he couldn't die. And then he gave it to Reina…" Draco trailed off, breathing heavily again.

"And so when he gave it to her, and then he never came back," Ginny theorized, "she thought he was really dead. And then you were wearing the ring and that's why you didn't die."

"You're smart," Draco grinned, his eyes still closed.

Ginny cleared her throat. "Of course I am. I'm with you, aren't I?"

Draco opened his eyes. "Yeah." He looked at her, glad that he was able to have this moment, this memory of himself being cradled in her arms. "Yeah, you're real smart."

Ginny looked down at him lovingly. Slowly, she bent over and pressed her lips against his as if an ethereal wisp of air, so lightly that Draco barely registered it before she rose to her feet. It was so gentle, so quick, so different from their other kisses, yet so passionate that Draco was fervently glad that he had plenty more time to return the sentiment.

_And who would have thought  
__That after this time  
__That I'd be the one you're saving_

On the way back up the tunnel, Draco leaned heavily against Ginny, still tired from his ordeal. However, with each step he took, he felt a bit of his strength return, aided by the now-proven fact that he was better than his father.

Lucius had had seventeen years to kill Draco, and when the perfect opportunity had arisen this night, he had taken it. However, when Draco had that same opportunity to kill his father, he had not taken it. Draco realized with a burst of pride that he had been greater than his father, that he had proven the stronger man. Lucius didn't realize it, but Draco did.

And that helped him realize another thing, that he never wanted Lucius to question his loyalty again. He wanted to show his father that he meant exactly what he had said to him. Draco knew he never wanted to be like his father. Earlier in his life he thought he had, but now he knew better. That life might have been meant for him, but Draco was changing his destiny.

No more would he have to wait in anxiety for the next attack from his father, wait for the next lecture about the duties of a Death Eater. No, that part of Draco's life was gone forever.

_Now undisguised  
__The ghosts that survive  
__Now say what was meant to be_

Draco bent over and with difficulty, wrenched the stone from the ground for what he hoped was the last time. With a gust of wind, the tunnel transformed back to its prior state, and Ginny and Draco continued on, Oleaney Juriac floating still unconscious behind them.

When they reached the door that led to the school, they found it cracked open, obviously from when Lucius had come into the tunnel. Draco still wondered exactly how his father had gotten down there. He believed what Lucius had said about looking for him in Draco's room; his father had probably come to bring Draco home early and start his training. And if he hadn't found him there, he might have been walking through the dungeons and seen the door open and gone through, thus discovering the tunnel and cavern, but how far had he gone? He had come out of the tunnel leading towards Juriac's house, so had he been in there while Draco and Ginny had? Draco didn't know, and doubted whether he ever would, but that's what he chose to believe.

They walked through the halls towards Professor Dumbledore's office, hoping he would be in there. Unfortunately, they passed quite a few students in the hallways. Those that saw them stared, whether in astonishment that a Malfoy and Weasley were walking together or because their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was floating unconscious behind them, Draco could only imagine.

When they did reach the stone gargoyle, Draco quickly muttered the password and the three of them piled onto the stone staircase. Ginny took the levitation spell off of Juriac and Draco, now feeling almost back to normal, slung him over his shoulders again, the staircase being too narrow and levitate him any longer.

Draco braced himself as Ginny knocked on the door. When he stepped into that room, something new in his life was going to start. He and Ginny would be bombarded with questions. His world as he knew it would officially be over.

_I never wanted to give my life away  
__Who ever thought it would matter anyway_

"Please come in," came Dumbledore's cheerful voice. Draco heard Ginny take a deep breath and let it out with a whoosh before she opened the door and walked in, Draco carrying Oleaney Juriac following.

Draco saw that Professor McGonagall was in the room talking with Dumbledore. She rose from her seat in alarm when she saw who was coming in. "Mr. Malfoy – Miss Weasley – what in Merlin's name –"

"What is going on?" Dumbledore asked gravely, looking back and forth between Ginny and Draco. Draco shifted on his feet, wondering how to begin. First off, though, he set Juriac on the floor as gently as possible; his body was starting to tire again.

"Well, Sir," began Ginny, "back in the beginning of the year, right after Albert Harding disappeared…"

And so Ginny, with the help of Draco, told the whole story. Well, an edited version of the whole story anyway. They left out parts such as their relationship and all that had transpired with Draco, his mother, and his father, instead starting with how they had teamed up together and had been searching throughout the year for the culprit and how they had discovered the tunnel. They told about their many trips down there. They told of how they had given up of ever solving the mystery.

Then Draco recounted the conversation he had had with Reina earlier that afternoon. All throughout their story, both Dumbledore and McGonagall had remained quiet, only interrupting with an occasional short question. At the mention of what Reina had told Draco, however, Dumbledore spoke.

"She said that Oleaney was dead?" he asked, frowning.

"Yes," Draco remarked. "She still thinks he's dead."

All throughout their narrative, Oleaney Juriac had remained unconscious. Dumbledore had, however, conjured a couch and placed him upon it when he found out that Juriac was merely stunned and not injured. Now Dumbledore turned towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher more closely. He bent over the man and peered at him.

For several minutes, Dumbledore just stared at him. Draco had a sneaking suspicion that he was performing some sort of occlumency. After a while, he straightened and turned to McGonagall with a sigh.

"Minerva, please go to the Owlry and send a note to Reina Juriac instructing her to come up to the school to my office at once."

Professor McGonagall nodded, gave one sharp glance at Draco and Ginny, and left the room. Draco looked at Ginny nervously, who was sitting in a chair next to him. She glanced back at him and shrugged before looking down at her feet.

Draco looked back at Dumbledore, who appeared as if he had forgotten that Draco and Ginny were in the room with him. He was kneeling next to Juriac, the tip of his wand pressed against Juriac's temple. Dumbledore's eyes were closed and his lips were moving though Draco couldn't hear what was being said. He had a feeling that something important was happening.

Then the door opened and Professor McGonagall came walking back in. "The letter is sent, Albus," she exclaimed, looking at the kneeling Professor Dumbledore, who didn't acknowledge her. Seeing that Dumbledore was busy, McGonagall sat in her seat again and looked at Draco and Ginny. "I'm sure she'll be here soon."

Draco didn't have to ask who "she" was. They all knew who McGonagall was talking about.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley," she began, sitting back as if preparing for another long conversation, "it seems as if the two of you are more_ friendly_ towards each other than you used to be. Is anything…else going on that you haven't mentioned yet?"

Draco smiled uncertainly.

_Wandering inside this night  
__Finding pieces of a life  
__Never sure I'd ever know what it means_

"Um," began Ginny nervously, glancing at Draco. "Well, you – you see, Professor, Draco and I –"

"Are dating," Draco said bluntly, smirking at his Transfiguration teacher, whom Draco was very pleased to see drop her jaw in shock. He grabbed Ginny's hand for emphasis.

"D-dat-dating?" McGonagall stammered. "Dating?" she asked more incredulously, her eyebrows rising and furrowing repeatedly. Oh how Draco was enjoying this moment.

"Yup," Draco sighed with pleasure. He liked how that sounded, actually. Glancing over at Ginny, he saw that she was looking at her teacher with what appeared to be a "Yes, I'm afraid it is true, and I'm sorry that you feel I've betrayed Gryffindor, but I'm very happy" look. He squeezed Ginny's hand, smirking happily.

Before McGonagall could quite get over her shock, Dumbledore rose to his feet. "Well, I've fixed him," he said, sighing.

"Fixed him?" Ginny asked worriedly. "Did we do something to him? Did we hurt him?"

"No, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said gently. "You saved him. From himself."

"What are you talking about?" Draco inquired excitedly.

"Well now I know what was wrong with Oleaney, but I will wait until his sister gets here and let him explain it in detail. But basically, he was tortured into insanity. Temporary insanity, that is. You see, the mind can sustain only so much pain," Dumbledore explained. "When it has had enough, the mind can do several things. It can tell the body that it has had enough and the body will simply stop functioning, therefore causing its owner to die. It can stop working properly, causing permanent damage, as was the case with several of our best aurors years earlier. Or, the mind can create a block, a mental wall, if you will. It blocks out anything that it doesn't wish to experience, such as bad memories, pain, and its whole life. The latter was the case in Mr. Juriac here. But I have broken down that wall and in a moment I will waken him. He should remember everything…everything he had forgotten, and everything that he has done since that wall went up."

_I. Was. Right!_ Draco thought triumphantly. He had been close to figuring out the truth earlier that day in Reina's kitchen, but now he knew what had happened. Now curiosity for details was eating at him. He watched with bated breath as his headmaster wakened Oleaney.

At first Oleaney Juriac sat up slowly, taking in his surroundings. He blinked a few times and shook his head as if to get rid of some annoying fly. He looked at Dumbledore, then at McGonagall, and then finally at Draco and Ginny. His eyes widened when he saw them. For a full ten seconds the three just stared at each other, and then Juriac looked back at Dumbledore.

"What happened?" he asked shakily. "Why do I feel so…old?"

Before Dumbledore could answer, there was a knock at the door. Draco's heart beat faster in excitement. Dumbledore gave permission for the person to come in. Reina Juriac entered the room and halted, her eyes on her brother.

_It's the strangers in your life  
__That you'd never thought you'd meet  
__It's the hand that picked you up  
__When you're laying in the street_

"Oleaney?" Reina faltered.

"Reina," Oleaney replied, standing. He blinked as if he didn't know how he had gotten in the room. "My…sister."

Reina gave a short cry before she closed the space between her and Oleaney and hugged him tightly. Oleaney wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes, a few tears leaking from them. When they parted, Draco could see that Reina had more than just a few tears in her eyes. Her whole face was wet with sorrowful joy.

"How can this be?" she asked breathlessly. "You died. I was sure of it."

"I didn't," reasoned Oleaney with a sigh. He sat down on the couch and Reina was quick to follow. "I didn't…Oh, Merlin, this is a long story."

"Why don't you start from the beginning," Dumbledore said gently. Both Juriacs looked up at the headmaster, one reminded of his presence and one just realizing it.

"A-Albus Dumbledore?" Reina asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"Hello, Miss Juriac," smiled Dumbledore. "It is good to see you again. It has been too long."

Reina nodded slowly, looking back at her brother. "The beginning, then, Oleaney?" she asked. "There are many questions I need answered myself."

"Yes, yes, the beginning," Oleaney decided. "The beginning." He sighed deeply before he began. He scratched his head, thinking back. "Well, my family is originally from the United States of America. We moved here when Reina and I were eleven or twelve, I can't remember which."

"It was when we were twelve," Reina affirmed.

"We're twins; did you know that?" inquired Oleaney. Everybody else, minus McGonagall, nodded. "Well…" continued Oleaney. "Our family is pureblood and our parents were very proud of that. Our ancestry went way back. But back in America at the school we went to, Rosings Academy, Reina didn't pick up on the magic as quickly as I did. My parents got discouraged and moved us here after hearing so much about Hogwarts."

Dumbledore nodded knowingly.

"But even here Reina didn't progress like everybody else did," Oleaney said quietly, looking at his sister.

"It was the squib in me starting to show," Reina said lightly, not caring in the slightest. "I dropped out of Hogwarts in my first year and lived at home. My parents were devastated. They didn't seem to want to accept the fact that I wasn't magical like they were. While Oleaney was at school," Reina sighed, "my parents hired magical tutors, people who specialized in bringing out the magic in squibs, but nothing worked. After a year, my parents finally decided that I'd never amount to much. I think most of their love for me disappeared then."

Draco saw Ginny looking compassionately at Reina. Reina caught her look and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, chicky, they weren't anybody worth wishing the love from anyway."

"No they weren't," Oleaney exhorted. Draco looked back at the man. "While I was away at Hogwarts all year, they started dealing in the dark arts. Back in America, there weren't any Death Eaters and there wasn't any Voldemort. We heard about him, of course; we heard about him and his doings every day in the news. But it was different when we moved here."

"Right after we did get here, my parents bought a house in Norfolk," Reina added. "They were always very rich, and at first I thought they were just looking into the Death Eaters because they were bored. But then they got serious."

"I came home one Christmas in my second year and found them in the middle of some meeting," Oleaney said. "There were maybe ten Death Eaters in our house; Reina was hiding up in her room, and that's where I stayed too that night. But from then on, we never trusted our parents again. They were complete strangers to us, especially Reina. Me, on the other hand," he said with not a trace of pride, "they still treated like a son. They hoped that one day I would join them, something I vowed never to do."

Draco looked at his teacher with a new-found respect. He sounded exactly like Draco felt regarding Lucius.

"But for all of my time at Hogwarts, nothing too drastic happened with my parents," Oleaney said, a sad shadow falling over his face. "I fell in love…"

Reina looked down at her lap, and Draco felt unexpected compassion reaching out towards both her and her brother.

"I fell in love with a wonderful girl," Oleaney continued. "She was my Hogwarts sweetheart, always was. Right after graduation, right after I turned eighteen, I married Felicity Bell, thus turning her into Felicity Juriac." A soft, loving look came upon him; he looked years younger than he was.

"Our parents attended the wedding," Reina divulged. "They were sullen and distant though; they disapproved of the whole thing. They wanted Oleaney to join them. By that time, our parents were deep within Voldemort's ranks. After the wedding, they disappeared and ignored us altogether, something neither of us regretted. Up until then, I had been living at home, trying to stay out of their way. When Oleaney got married and moved away, I moved out too. I opened my shop and worked there ever since."

"And that's when our story, the one that leads us to right here, really started," Oleaney informed them. Reina nodded silently. "Felicity…Felicity died…" Oleaney addressed the room quietly. "It was a year after we had gotten married and she was pregnant with our first child, but it came too early. They both died." Tears came to his eyes and he put his face in his hands, shaking his head sadly.

Ginny grabbed Draco's hand and squeezed it. The action, which to another would have appeared to be an action of comfort for Draco, was in actuality to comfort Ginny herself; Draco rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb reassuringly as she stared at the twins before her. Draco heard Ginny sniff back a few of her own tears.

"After that," continued Oleaney with a sigh, "I was too distraught to do much. I got it into my head that I wanted to try to sway my parents away from Voldemort, to make them turn back into the parents they used to be."

"And a stupid thing for you to think of, it was," Reina scolded. "Look where it landed us! Twenty-eight years of me thinking that you're dead and twenty-eight years of you…you being off somewhere, gallivanting about, not coming to see me," she turned away, folding her arms across her chest. She huffed angrily.

"Reina," Oleaney pleaded, "let me explain. Now that I know the whole story, I can tell you. Trust me, there was a good reason I didn't come back."

Reina turned back to her brother. "I'm not mad," she admitted. "Frustrated, I guess."

"Me too," Oleaney said. "I missed seeing you get old."

At Reina's indignant face, Dumbledore coughed politely.

Oleaney looked back at the headmaster and smiled softly. "Right," he said. "Back to the story. So that night I went to Reina's," Oleaney said. "I told her that I was going to save our parents. And so I Apparated to their house."

_It's the hand that cut you down  
__It's the dream that someone shared  
__When you thought that all was lost  
__It's the friend that wasn't there_

Reina sat forward expectantly; even she did not know the rest of the story.

"They were in full Death Eater uniform," said Oleaney. "It turns out I went to them right when they were about to leave. Voldemort had just summoned them as well as many other Death Eaters for a meeting. I talked with them for a while, tried to convince them to not go, to give Voldemort up. They kept insisting that they had to go or he'd be angry with them. But I wouldn't let them go.

"My father, Quentin Juriac, was a stubborn man," Oleaney noted. "He refused to listen to my reasoning. He said that they had finally found where they belonged and that I had to accept it, that they had accepted my choice to not join them. I don't think they ever meant any harm towards me," He frowned. "And my mother, Zariah…she just kept saying 'Let's go, come on, let's go, Quentin. We're already late and it's burning more; he's mad, I can tell, come on, let's go.'"

Oleaney shook his head sadly. "They were seconds from Apparating, I guess, but I didn't know it. I grabbed my father's arm right before they disappeared and I ended up side-along Apparating with them. Then I started to realize what a mistake it had all been, my going to my parents. I was in a graveyard, and it was dark, cold," he said, staring at the floor.

"They were all there, Voldemort and more Death Eaters than I had ever seen. They were all watching us. Voldemort punished my parents for being late, tortured them. When he was done, they sunk into the crowd and pulled their masks over their faces, became one of the others. But he was curious about me. He found out that I was their son and that my coming was an accident. Then he got mad. He tortured me, first some curses I had never heard of, and then the Cruciatus. It felt like he kept it on me for hours.

"Then he took it off, and I saw them all Disapparating right before me eyes. I don't know if they thought I was dead or if they knew that I was going insane, but they left me there." Oleaney shook his head at the memory. "They just left. I was lying there, I could feel myself losing it, and the last thing I remember was seeing the masks off of my parents, saw them looking down at me. I didn't see any pity or sorrow or regret; they just looked at me blankly. Then they left and I fell unconscious.

"And when I woke up," Oleaney continued, "it was like I was someone else. I didn't remember how I got in a graveyard, I didn't remember my parents being Death Eaters, I didn't remember my sister, I didn't remember any of it. So I ran. Even now the years I spent out there, I don't really remember what I did. But I know that a year ago I came here to Hogwarts; something about it seemed familiar so I came. Dumbledore was hiring. I was looking for a job. It all worked out. And then…" he frowned. "Oh Merlin…"

His eyes widened as he covered his mouth with a hand. "I took all those students…I did – I did all those things. I remember now. I –" he broke off. "Oh Merlin," He repeated.

"Never mind what you did in your crazed state, Oleaney," Dumbledore spoke. "That is behind you; no real harm was done. Thanks to Mr. Malfoy's and Miss Weasley's sleuthing, everything has been set right."

Oleaney looked at Draco and Ginny. "I did so many things wrong," he said.

"Don't worry about it, Oleaney," Reina said sternly. "You and I, I think, will take a vacation, and we can fill each other in on what happened."

Oleaney nodded. "Wait – what happened to our parents?"

"They're dead," Reina announced without a bit of remorse. "A few months after you went after them, they were caught by aurors who tried to bring them to Azkaban. They put up a fight and were killed."

"Oh," Oleaney exclaimed softly.

"Can I ask a question?" Ginny asked nervously.

Oleaney looked at her. "Sure," he said.

"Well," began Ginny, "Sir, where was that house that we found you in? And the tunnel? What are those doing there?"

"The house, now that I think of it," Oleaney explained, "is where I spent all those years. "It was on the outskirts of Hogsmede. I don't know how the tunnel was formed. I discovered that it ran to the school after I had started working there."

"Oh," replied Ginny.

"But why did you take the students?" Draco asked. McGonagall looked at him sharply.

"Mr. Malfoy, I thought the headmaster said that we were not going to question Mr. Juriac about his –"

"No, no, I can answer that," Oleaney said. "I don't understand the reasoning behind it anymore, not now that I'm…normal again, but I'll explain the best that I can. But you have to understand, back then I didn't think rationally. I thought that what I was doing was completely normal. I liked to…experiment down there in my house. That's what all those cauldrons and potions and books were, stuff for my experiments. And when I was at the school, I thought of a new one, a big one. Clones."

"Clones?" Draco asked. "Like what you did when Ginny and I were up there? How you looked like me?"

"That was just a spell," Oleaney said. "I wanted to create real live clones, whole people that were completely independent. I…I suppose what I was thinking is that I had this box, yeah? And I had a book that was explaining how it was supposed to work. Now I guess that book was just bollocks, but at the time I believed it. It said if I put DNA of the person I wanted to clone in it, along with the proper potion, it would create the clone. So I tried cloning myself first, and it didn't work. I thought that maybe I was too old, so I decided to try someone younger, a student."

"So you took Albert Harding," Draco said.

Oleaney hesitated. "Yes," he said at last. "He didn't work either. So I tried Trent Johnson. Again, nothing happened. I thought maybe I was going too young, so I tried a seventh year, Neville Longbottom. He was quite an interesting fellow.

"But he didn't work either and I started to despair. I didn't return Neville right away because he was fun company. Then I thought that maybe I was going all wrong with trying to clone males. I went for a female."

"Pansy," Draco hissed.

"Yes," Oleaney stated. "Pansy Parkinson." He shivered. "That was one of the most unfortunate things I ever did was take her. She didn't work either, so I returned her and Mr. Longbottom. I gave up on that experiment and stopped taking the students, preferring to go back to my old, smaller experiments."

Oleaney finished talking with another sad sigh, thinking back to all he had done. Draco just had one more thing he needed answered.

"And that thing under the tunnel? That thing you call Carl? What _is_ that?"

"Hmm, Carl?" Oleaney asked, looking at Draco. "Ah, yes, Carl…now I remember him. I believe I told you he was a Cusderm."

"Yeah, what is that?" Ginny asked.

"It means 'one's own skin,'" said Oleaney. Ginny looked confusedly towards their Transfiguration teacher.

"It is a form of a clone, I suppose," sniffed McGonagall. "You take a part of your skin and mind and form another being, but a different one. You speak to it through your mind and you control it; it listens to your every command. It is linked to your own body."

"Yes, yes," said Oleaney excitedly. "That was Carl. I created him to guard the tunnel so that nobody would discover that house. It worked for a while, but you must have gotten through when he was off duty. I suppose when you knocked me unconscious –by the way, Miss Weasley, I'm pleased to see you remembered how to correctly tell imposters from real people– Carl disappeared. That happens when its creator is injured."

"Will he come back?" Ginny asked.

"No."

"Oh," she said.

Draco looked over at her. She seemed tired. Draco himself was tired too; he had just absorbed a lot of information in a short amount of time. But the tiredness that they felt, Draco was sure, was nothing compared to what Oleaney Juriac had just been through. After all, he had just remembered almost thirty years worth of memories.

"Well, here you are," Draco said, clearing his throat. He pulled out the stone that opened the tunnel under the school and handed it to Professor Dumbledore. "I guess you probably want that."

"Yes," smiled Dumbledore. "Thank you. Miss Weasley, perhaps you can escort Reina and Oleaney to the Hospital Wing where Madame Pomfrey can look over him and make sure there is nothing else wrong, and so he can rest." Ginny nodded and stood up. "Reina, you are welcome to stay at Hogwarts with your brother for the night."

"Thank you, Mr. Dumbledore," Reina said, smiling. Draco found that address odd; he had never heard Dumbledore called a Mr. before.

But Draco's focus on Reina disappeared when he heard Ginny give a weak, surprised exclamation before she swayed and started to fall.

"Ginny!" Draco shouted. He leapt out of his seat and caught her by the waist, lowering her unconscious form to the ground as McGonagall and Dumbledore rushed to their side. "Ginny?" Draco asked fearfully, wondering what was happening to her. She moaned as her head rolled to the side, but otherwise she was still.

"What's wrong with her?" Reina inquired anxiously from over Dumbledore's shoulder.

"Miss Weasley?" Dumbledore asked, tapping her cheek. "Ginevra?" He gently pushed Draco out of the way so he could better assess the girl. Draco stared anxiously at Ginny. He silently pleaded for her to wake up, but no matter how strong his resolve, she remained unconscious.

"Is she breathing, Albus?" McGonagall asked fearfully. Dumbledore nodded. "Well perhaps she just got overexcited?" McGonagall pondered. "This was after all quite an eventful way to end exam day."

"It's not the exams," Oleaney said suddenly. Everybody turned to look at him. "Draco, remember the potion?"

Draco had no idea what the man was talking about. "What potion?" he snapped.

"The one up in my attic," Oleaney answered, not ruffled by Draco's impatience. "Remember how I asked you if you had knocked over that cauldron and you said you hadn't? It must have been Ginny. She got into that potion."

"What potion?" Dumbledore demanded.

"It was one I invented," Oleaney said proudly. "It is a variant of the Draught of Living Death, only not quite as strong, I think. It will knock the drinker into a very deep sleep."

"How long does it last?" Draco asked, his heart-rate starting to return to normal once he knew that Ginny would be alright.

"It depends on how much she absorbed," said Oleaney, shrugging his shoulders. "Judging by how little I saw was left in the cauldron, I'd say she'll be out for quite a few hours."

Draco sighed and looked back to Ginny. She did look like she was sleeping; she looked peaceful.

"Well," said Dumbledore, looking at Reina and Oleaney, "I was going to have Miss Weasley show you to the Hospital Wing, but it seems that she needs to be taken there as well. Minerva, would you mind –"

"No, Albus," McGonagall said, standing up. "I'll take them."

"Why can't I go?" Draco asked, watching as his former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher picked up Ginny.

"You and I need to have a talk, Draco," Dumbledore said, his eye twinkling.

Draco eyed his headmaster suspiciously. A talk? He hadn't done anything wrong. He glanced back at McGonagall, Reina, Oleaney, and Ginny as they left the room, and he suddenly remembered something. "Wait," he said, and they turned. "I need to talk to Professor Juriac for a second."

Oleaney looked at Draco and then relinquished Ginny to Professor McGonagall, who levitated the unconscious girl and continued out the door with Reina. "Yes?" He asked.

Draco reached into his shirt and pulled out the silver chain holding Oleaney's ring. "Here," he said, holding both chain and ring out. "This is yours."

For a moment, all Oleaney was able to do was stare at the ring. Draco could almost see years of memories fly past Oleaney's eyes. Draco wished he could give his teacher his wife back, but all he could do was give him the ring she had so lovingly given to him.

With a deep breath, Oleaney stepped forward and took the ring. "Thank you," he said, looking at Draco with misty eyes.

"Thank you, as well, for letting me borrow it," Draco said. "Your sister inadvertently gave it to me, and it saved my life today."

Oleaney smiled sadly and closed his fist tightly around the ring. "Thank you," he said again before he slowly walked out of the room.

When the door had been shut firmly behind them, Dumbledore motioned for Draco to take his seat in front of the headmaster's desk. Draco did, watching as Dumbledore sat in his own seat.

"You've been through a lot in these past few weeks, I can see," Dumbledore said. Draco nodded slowly. "I wonder, have you at all thought about a question I have asked you several times this year?"

Draco sighed.

_You can run from all the memory  
__But never get that far  
__For in the end they'll find you  
__For this is who you are_

"My mother doesn't live at home anymore, did you know that?" Draco asked, ignoring for the moment his headmaster's question. Dumbledore didn't seem to mind; in fact, he was interested in what Draco was saying.

"Oh?" he asked, leaning forward in his seat. "And how did that come to be?"

"I found out," he said, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice, "that my father had been keeping her under the Imperious Curse since I was born."

Draco expected Dumbledore to say "Hmm," "I see," "Is that so?" or some other polite inquiry, but he didn't expect the words that ended up coming from his headmaster.

"And what happened to you when you found that out?"

Draco frowned, thinking back. He had been angry at his father. He had been surprised and, yes, delighted that his mother did care about him. He had vowed to find a way to save her. "I was…" Draco trailed off, trying to find the right way to express what he was thinking. "I was...angry, upset, confused, happy, sad…" Draco shrugged his shoulders. "Take your pick."

"I see," Dumbledore murmured. "And then what happened?"

"I tried to save her," Draco said. "I tried over Christmas break, but it didn't work. My father caught me right as I was taking her out the front door and she snapped back under the curse. And then later that year I was talking to Ginny, and she suggested bringing my mother to Reina's, thought it was a safe place for her, and so we did. I tried rescuing her again and it worked. My mother has been there ever since."

"And how does Narcissa act when she is free from the Imperious?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"She's normal," Draco remarked. "She likes to talk to me, with me, about me. She acts like a normal mother, like we're a normal family."

"And you like that, yes?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.

Draco thought for a moment and deliberated his answer, for a moment thinking that he was revealing too much information. But then he remembered his father and his resolve strengthened. "Yes," he admitted. "I do like it."

"And your father?" inquired Dumbledore. "What does he think about all of this?"

"He doesn't know."

"That's what I thought."

"He would come to see me sometimes," Draco said. "He came a few times this year, and he always came once or twice every other year."

"I know."

"How?"

"Mr. Malfoy, little goes on in my school that I do _not _know of." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at him. "What did he want?"

Draco reluctantly said, "The first time he wanted to make sure I was still planning on becoming a Death Eater." Dumbledore stiffened at these words. "After that, he came to see where my mother was. And then this afternoon…"

"What did he want this afternoon?"

Draco paused. "He killed me."

"Pardon?"

"Well," Draco continued, "he tried to. He thinks I'm dead. The ring that I just gave back to Professor Juriac saved me, because his wife had put a protection spell on it. I had it at the time and I couldn't die when he cursed me with the Avada. When Ginny and I were coming back out the tunnel, my father was down there. I sent Ginny and Oleaney back up the tunnel, but she, being the hot-headed girl that she is, didn't listen to me. She stayed at the end of the tunnel and watched while I fought my father. I could have killed him; I had the chance."

"But you didn't," Dumbledore stated.

"No."

"How come?"

"I – I don't know," Draco said uncomfortably. "It didn't seem right."

"But your father has caused you so much pain over the years. He took away your mother," Dumbledore said practically.

"I know that," Draco agreed, his teeth grinding. "But I couldn't kill him."

"Again I ask, how come?"

Draco growled at his professor. Did the man really wish that he _had_ killed Lucius? Draco couldn't tell him the main reason he didn't kill his father. He couldn't tell Dumbledore about killing Aidan Grant, and he couldn't tell him that he had no desire to kill another human being ever again. So he told him the other truth, the one he had already stated. "It didn't seem right."

"Hmm…"

"Well did you _want_ me to kill him?" Draco asked exasperatedly.

"No, not at all."

"So why do you seem so upset that I didn't kill him?"

"Draco, what is your greatest fear?"

_Change one note  
__Change one line  
__Nothing's going to be the same  
__Change one loss  
__Change one cut  
__Everything is rearranged  
_

"Courage, Draco," Dumbledore said slowly, "is the defining factor of life. It is what separates a man from a boy, good from evil, construction from destruction, success from failure, and ultimately, life from death."Dumbledore watched for Draco's reaction. "Is your greatest fear that you are your father? That you will become your father?"

"Sir," Draco began almost desperately, "my greatest fear is not that I am my father, I suppose, but that I am more than my father ever was." Draco thought back to how he had controlled his hatred when his father had not. He thought to how he had recognized evil when his father had not, turned from it when his father had not.

"Power beyond measure," continued Draco, "uncontrolled and unleashed by itself is much worse than failure or inadequacy. The fact that everything I do, everything I try to accomplish will only be used for evil is so frightening that I'd rather die." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. What was he saying? He sounded ridiculous. But it was true, and deep down, Draco knew that he'd rather be dead than see his father turn him into something evil.

"But if I hold on to what is real and true in life, even if I stand alone in the face of destruction," Draco said carefully, "I will not be brought down. I think that if I keep sight of the greater good, then I will be alright."

"And what is the greater good, Draco?" Dumbledore asked quietly, seriously.

Draco thought for a moment. He thought of his mother. "Defending those who are too weak to defend themselves." He thought of the muggleborns and half-bloods who were killed everyday for no real reason. "Helping those who cannot help themselves." He thought of Ginny and how he cared for her. "Protecting those who cannot protect themselves. Or," he added hastily, remembering her confidence that she could take of her self, "making sure that they stay safe, even if they_ might_ be able to protect themselves."

Dumbledore nodded slowly, a satisfied smile coming to his face. "That is what I have waited all year to hear you say," he said, his voice betraying the pride he felt at Draco.

Draco blinked. "What?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Ever since I read your answer to the question from Trelawney's class, I wondered. Everybody fears something. I wanted to know what you were afraid of."

"But why?" Draco asked. He felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Why?" asked Dumbledore. "Because in light of the war approaching, I need to know whose side you are on. For the past year or so, I have questioned your loyalty to Lucius. You did not seem quite as evil as you were trying to be, and you did not act like your father did when he was your age. I had hope, you see." Dumbledore smiled.

"And whose side do you think I'm on?" Draco asked cautiously.

"I am without a doubt positive that you are _not_ on your father's side," Dumbledore said knowingly. "Everything you just said contradicts everything he _is._"

"That's true," Draco said. "I guess…I guess what I'm saying is…" he hesitated one more moment before plunging head in. "I'm on your side."

Dumbledore closed his eyes. "Thank you, Draco," he said quietly.

Draco looked down at his lap. Now what? He had just committed himself to Dumbledore. Now what was going to happen to him?

"I can make arrangements for you and your mother to be brought to our headquarters," Dumbledore responded to Draco's unasked question.

"Whose headquarters?" Draco asked.

"Why, the Order's, my boy!" Dumbledore exclaimed happily. "The Order of the Phoenix. There you and your mother will be quite safe, and there you will be able to help us. It would be best, if your father thinks you truly dead, to not go walking about right now. You must keep a low profile."

"Right," Draco said, though he didn't relish the thought of being stuck who knew where with a bunch of Order members. He sighed. "When do I leave?"

"Tonight."

Draco sighed again.

"Don't be so glum about it, Draco," Dumbledore said. "You will get to see Miss Weasley again. Almost her entire family is in the Order."

Draco perked up. Then again, this might not be so bad. "Can I say goodbye to her before I leave?"

"You may," Dumbledore replied. "And now if you will excuse me, I have many things to prepare before this evening arrives. I suggest that you go pack and I will summon you when it is time."

Draco stood, stretching his back as he did so. Before he turned to the door, he looked at his headmaster. "Thank you for everything," he said quite seriously. Dumbledore had offered him a way out. Now Draco didn't have to wake up each morning wondering what he would be doing with his father. Draco had done several things in his lifetime as of yet that were not honorable, were not trustworthy, and were not charitable. But perhaps, with time, might come redemption.

_Every act  
__Cruel or kind  
__Lost inside our memory  
__If you look  
__There in time_

"You're welcome, Draco," Dumbledore said sincerely.

Draco turned towards the door. But before he walked out, he said, "And Sir? You won't tell anybody about me and Ginny, will you?"

"My dear boy, I wouldn't dream of it."

Draco grinned.

_You'll find it in  
__Find it in  
__Find it in  
__You'll find it in me_

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**This chapter is dedicated in loving memory to Gunner  
****R.I.P. buddy…We all miss you**

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**A/N:** This was a hard chapter to write for more reasons than one. This chapter basically resolved everything though. Hopefully there are few if any unanswered questions. If you have any, or are just confused by any part, then just ask and I'll answer you.

I know that sounded like it might be the end of the story, but there is one more chapter left.

The song was _This Is Who You Are_ by the talented and fabulous Trans-Siberian Orchestra, one of my favorite bands ever. I do not own the song or the band, and I do not intend to imply that I do, so please do not sue me. And this song is the reason I changed the title of the story way back. I wanted to put the song in here. Isn't it crazy how well that song fits the story from Draco's point of view? I love it.

And one of my family members and best friends just died early yesterday morning, thus the chapter dedication. His death was very sudden and very unexpected. But I had this chapter ready and thought I'd post it. After all, life does go on, hard as it may be.

Reviews would be much appreciated.

Lauren


	40. The Beginning

Well here it is, the last chapter. It's not very long at all, but read through till the end and read all of my author notes! They're important! Look for thankyous down there, and if you ever reviewed this story, you should see your name.

And thank you all for your thoughts, sympathies, prayers, kind and encouraging words, and mental hugs. They were all greatly appreciated and I am getting better. Thanks guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own this.

**Chapter 40: The Beginning**

The first thing Ginny noticed when she opened her eyes was white. Lots of white. It was all around her, on the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the beds – even the nightgown she was wearing was made of a white cotton material. As far as Ginny knew, there was only one place on earth that was covered so in that airy color of dreams, and that was the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts.

Through bleary eyes Ginny looked around, wondering what she was doing there of all places. Heavy moonlight flittering through a window a few feet from the bed she was in revealed that it was sometime in the night, though Ginny had no idea what time it was.

Just as she was slipping her legs out of bed, the door to the Hospital Wing creaked open and Ginny froze, for walking through the door was Draco Malfoy.

Her heart started beating faster and a smile came to her lips at the sight. "Draco," she whispered.

Draco smiled at her and looked around the room to see if there was anybody else with them –there wasn't– before he moved towards her.

"Ginny," he exclaimed softly. Ginny threw her arms around his neck as Draco pulled her close to him, dropping a small, thin box onto her bed. Ginny closed his eyes, savoring the feel of their bodies molded to each other; she loved the way that hers fit against his perfectly, as if they were meant to be together.

"Draco," Ginny exclaimed, "what happened? What am I doing here? And how are you –"

"Ssh." He hushed her by pressing a finger to her lips. "Don't ask all of your questions at once."

Ginny gazed into his dusky eyes so full of emotion and remained quiet, waiting for him to speak.

Draco sighed as he looked back at Ginny. "You fell in one of Juriac's potions at his house, because that's what caused you to pass out up in Dumbledore's office. Well, fall asleep, to be exact," he grinned.

Ginny remembered. "Was it bad?" She asked, cringing.

"Nah." Draco shook his head. "It was just some potion that was supposed to make you fall into a deep sleep."

"How long was I out of it?" Ginny asked.

"Not too long, a few hours," Draco said. "It's almost midnight. We always seem to meet at midnight…" He was smiling at her.

Ginny nodded, smiling again. "Yeah," she said fondly. "What are you doing here? I mean, shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Draco hesitated, his hands on either of Ginny's arms. "I'll be going away for a while," he commented, looking past Ginny to the window behind her.

Looking frantically at Draco, Ginny stammered, "G-going? Why?" She felt confused, worried. "Where?" she asked hopelessly.

He looked regretfully at her. "I…I can't tell you."

Ginny frowned. "Why not?"

"I just can't," Draco insisted. "I'll be safe, but I'm not supposed to tell you where I'm going."

"So somebody is making you go?" Ginny asked angrily. "Who?"

Draco looked sad. "I can't." He shrugged his shoulders and sighed, looking again at the window.

Ginny felt drained. Why did he have to leave now? It didn't seem fair. "When?" she asked softly.

"In a few minutes," was Draco's answer.

Perhaps Ginny would have started crying, so emotionally distraught did she feel after everything that had happened over the past few days, if Draco hadn't held up the small box he had carried into the room, something Ginny had hardly noticed.

"This is for you," Draco said, holding the box wrapped in azure paper towards her.

"What is it?" she asked, gingerly taking the present.

Draco rolled his eyes. "If I was going to tell you, I wouldn't have spent all that time wrapping it."

"Smart-alec," she muttered affectionally, ripping the blue paper away and handing it to Draco. Looking down, she saw that under the paper was a long, slim jewelry box. When she opened it, she found inside a delicate silver bracelet. Remembrance brought a wry smile to her face and she laughed lightly as she lifted the jewelry from the box. Holding up in before her, she saw that several tiny stars hung at different lengths from the bracelet.

"How clever of you," she said sarcastically, though she was grinning now. She remembered how in the beginning of the year, Draco had charmed this bracelet and placed it where she'd find it, bent on revenge. She also remembered an embarrassing declaration she had made to Harry while wearing it. She had also been rather fond this bracelet.

"Well." Draco cleared his throat smugly. "I thought you might like to have that back."

"Is it cursed this time?" Ginny joked, looking at Draco through shining eyes.

He grinned as he shook his head. Laughing, Ginny leaned in, planning on giving Draco a quick, teasing kiss. But Draco had other plans, for the second that Ginny's lips touched his, he dropped the sapphire paper and fervently pulled Ginny to him, his arms wrapping around her waist firmly, holding her as close to his as possible.

Ginny's mind reeled from the passion that coursed through her as his mouth worked furiously against hers. Nothing about this kiss was innocent, which had been Ginny's intention, and yet she loved it when he kissed her this way. It made her feel as if she were on fire, as if she were burning from the inside out. She kissed him back just as zealously, wanting Draco to feel as delirious as he was making her, his hands grasping her waist possessively.

Feeling the need for more oxygen threatening to swallow her lungs, Ginny pulled back and was pleased to see that Draco was breathing just as heavily, if not more so, than Ginny. She shakily sat on the bed, needing a moment for to regain her composure. Draco had his back to her and Ginny looked down, surprised to see that the bracelet was still clutched tightly in her hand.

Taking a breath, Ginny stood and walked around to face Draco. She held out her wrist and the bracelet. "Put it on me?" she inquired, her eyes wide as they looked up into Draco's face. He nodded, and gently hooked the bracelet around her wrist, fumbling slightly with the clasp. When the bracelet was secure, he held on to Ginny's hand, looking deep into her eyes.

"You – you won't run away with the first bloke that tries to sweep you off your feet, will you?" he asked jokingly, though Ginny thought she detected a bit of worry in his eyes.

She shook her head slowly, looking at Draco lovingly. "No," she said, "you don't have to worry about that."

He let out a heavy breath and grinned. "Good," he laughed, letting go of her hand, "because if anybody tried to take _my_ girl," he declared –Ginny smiled at the emphasis he put on "my"– "I'd beat him so bad he'd never be able to eat solid food again. And I might not even be _that _kind."

Ginny grinned and looked down, not able to prevent the blush that graced her cheeks. Though she had by now come to expect and accept the way she blushed at mostly anything Draco said about her, she still thought it was embarrassing. Upon revealing that to Draco, he had scoffed and said that he liked it, that it was part of what made her so different from all the other girls he'd been with.

"Hey," he said, tilting her chin up so she'd meet his eyes. "Don't do that. I like seeing your face." This, if possible, made Ginny blush even further, but she stared determinedly into Draco's eyes.

For a few minutes, the two just looked at each other, savoring what they both knew would be the last time they saw each other for a while. Ginny didn't want him to go. She had no idea when she'd see him again for when the Hogwarts Express came for the students in a day, she'd be going home. And Draco would be off somewhere, doing something, without her.

"I should go," he voiced quietly.

Those three words seemed to break down a wall inside Ginny, for tears sprang to her eyes and she sniffed, trying to hold them back. Seeing this, Draco wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into his chest. Ginny laid her head on his shoulder and held on as if he'd disappear at any second, which, she desolately told herself, he _was_ going to do.

She sighed shakily, closing her eyes. She could feel his muscles moving beneath her cheek as he slowly rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. He was probably wishing she wasn't being so clingy, but Ginny couldn't help it. The thought of him leaving was too much for her.

"Ginny," Draco murmured after a while, "Ginny, I've already stayed longer than I was supposed to. I have to go."

"Where?" she moaned, looking at him desperately.

He hesitated. "I can't tell you," he repeated. "You know that."

Ginny looked away with a frustrated sigh. He was right. She did know.

"I'll see you again," he said. "Don't worry."

"Are you sure?" Ginny inquired.

"Of course I am," he replied, smirking lightly, trying to assuage her fear. "I am Draco Malfoy, after all. If I say you'll see me again, then you will."

Ginny looked into his silver eyes and saw shining there what she needed most then: reassurance. "Alright," she said, swallowing. "Go." She smiled at him.

"Goodbye, Gin–"

"No," she interrupted hastily. "Don't say _good_bye. It makes me feel like I'll never see you ever again. Just bye."

Draco gazed down at her with a small smile on his face. He leaned his head down and kissed Ginny once, his lips pressing firmly into hers. When he pulled back, he let his lips hover near hers as he whispered, "Bye, Ginevra." And then he turned and walked out of the Hospital Wing.

Ginny watched him leave, the ghost of his kiss still teasing her lips. Long after Draco had disappeared, she was still standing there, staring at the door.

With a pensive sigh, she sank back into the moonlight-bathed bed and waited for the dawn, and with it, a new day.

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**A/N:** So. There's the last chapter. I do feel a sort of sense of freedom now that it's over, but it won't last long, because, if the title of this chapter didn't give you enough clues yet, there will be a sequel. And yes, I know many of you have been asking me, and I was ignoring you on purpose. If I had told you that there was going to be a sequel when there were 3 or 4 chapters left, then you'd know that Ginny and Draco make it out pretty much unscathed. Though I doubt any of you thought I'd actually kill Ginny or Draco, I wanted some sort of air of suspense.

And in the next story, we will continue kind of where this one left off. It will have a lot more of the Order in it, and you'll see more of Harry, Ron, Hermione, all those other canon characters, and the ones I've made up. Draco will be the star of the story once again, and we will also follow what goes on during Ginny's 7th year and see what happens to her and Draco afterward. It will be based more on the 6th Harry Potter book though I'll warn you now, there will be some differences, the main one being that Draco never tried to kill Dumbledore, and therefore, Dumbledore will be alive. And you won't have to worry about me abandoning that story. Just as I promised with this one, I will finish that one. I already have the perfect ending planned, and I'm very excited about it, so it will get finished. But I haven't written any of it yet, so it may take a little while to get out. But stay tuned! It will be called **_What Is Eternal._**

Also, if you haven't seen already, I posted earlier today a one-shot I've been working these past weeks. Read it! If you liked this one, then you'll like that one called **_When The Last One Falls. _**

And now, my thanks go out to the following people:

**Her Guardian Angel; StarLightStarBright567; louey31; QueenThayet12990; fanfare; love it!; XxHotBloodySirenxX; Lacey; Midnight's Inertia; kz; dragonlayer; CoolMilena; I LOVE DRACO; melanctha; MadelineR; mirkwoodelf90; Noods; InspiredQuill; Tintin Thunderbirds Are Go; Flameable Soul; Regine; some1; PoTTeRFaN2009; xojulesxo; Ireboricua; Adalee Bishop; Sendarian Poltergest; mizlovegood; Embellished; tasz, mell8; Lote22; Tulips and Jill; kobayashi-kun; Giny; Katmillia; emmie elizabeth; Ellopoppet; MoonlightPrincess; kelkie; elocin; XxSnapexX; O.Sovereign.Of.Silence.O; nilber; harrypotterchick4ever; vampnykole; marissa; GodessOfTheNight29; xoxokatrinaxoxo; vla1diva; Ange de l'eau; ajma; Raiast; golden enki; Nocturnal007; Funstuff05; creamywonton; ahmazing Rehgan; serpentqueen92; gh0ulish; WaterInAPuddle; MssrBlaze; heartbreakerginny; LittleAngelMelanie; mandurr pwns XD; 123abc; darklight989; Reanie Campal; gerber; Adorkable; devil'lil; Mela; Syphonus; Sub **

If I missed anybody or spelled someone's name wrong, sorry. Thank you to all of you who reviewed, has the story on their favorites list, or just read it. I don't care if you didn't review. If you liked the story, thank you. I liked writing it for you.

Till the next story, review!

Lauren


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